Residents question subdivision impact

Pine Haven resident Don Dihle spoke to the town council last Tuesday evening regarding his concerns about the increased truck traffic along Vista Grande Drive, calling it a public nuisance and safety issue.

He and his wife have lived on the paved residential street for several years. Vista Grande Drive is not a through street, but entertains a number of homes along both sides as well as suburban side streets.

Pine Haven's council and the developers of the new C Bar Subdivision project had previously agreed that one of the first orders of business for the construction of the subdivision would be the removal of a number of trees that obstructed a proper view of Pine Haven Drive to the north from Vista Grand Drive intersection.

When the trees were felled and cut, a question arose about where to put the waste until it could be burned safely. Public Works Director Sunny Schell refused access to the town's slash pile, saying, "I'm not allowing them to put all those branches and logs in my slash pile to keep it available...for people who are trying to get their ladder fuels down and take care of the town."

So the developers made arrangements with Keyhole Ranch owners Vanna and son Vince Waters for a temporary dump area on their land at the end of Vista Grande Drive.

Herein lies the problem about which Dihle addressed the council:

"Vista Grande, of course, has no outlet so you'd think the residents of a few dozen homes in the area would be the majority of the traffic; this is not the case anymore. I don't believe I'm exaggerating when I say that more semi trucks passed my house today than traveled through Moorcroft on I-90 during that same time period."

With the deposit of timber into the allotted space, the trucks then pick up and haul dirt to other active projects throughout town, according to Schell. Thus, the trucks have been traveling with a significant amount of unregulated weight over the road for several weeks.

Dihle made his point: "The currently paved portion of Vista Grande Drive is deteriorating in several areas. A semi truck and trailer passed my house approximately every five minutes from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.... I estimated about 50 loads in and out today on Vista Grande."

"I was really pleased to read about the chip seal project," the Pine Haven resident continued, "Especially on my neighborhood streets, but there's no way that chip seal would ever hold up to that kind of heavy truck traffic, it'll be a waste of money."

After reiterating his complaint, he spoke to the action he was asking from the council, saying, "It's time to control access to this unregulated dump ground and require those who are going to use it to create their own road that does not require the use of Vista Grande."

"What I'm going to ask you is that, in the best interest of the town and its residents, you deal with this nuisance and safety issue and if anyone on the council would like to deal with it tonight, I can offer you some wording for a motion if you'd like."

Mayor Karla Brandenburg did not accept Dihle's offer, but did ask and was assured by Schell that the tree hauling would be completed within the week.

The director also addressed Dihle's concern regarding the burn fuel now lying open at the end of his street, saying that on a yet-to-be-determined date this winter, when the ground is not so dry, the material on the Waters property will be burned similarly to the town's slash pile.

However, the end of the tree hauling from C Bar may not be the respite council believes, according to Schell: "There are people who have bought lots and they will have cement trucks, contractors and [others] coming down that road...Dirt will continue to be hauled from the site for local projects, too."

After more consideration and answering his questions to the best of the town's ability, the mayor said to Dihle, "We understand your concerns, Don, we really do, those big trucks do harm the roads, but I don't know how we can have any type of anything go on in town without those [trucks] and if we restrict them on a road...I'm assuming that's what you would ask us to do – put a weight limit on the road?"

Dihle told the mayor that he would ask that the town cast a chain and padlock across the gate at the end of Vista Grande Drive and tell the developers to create their own ingress and egress from Highway 113, bypassing the town owned hard surface roadways. "That would solve our problem."

Brandenburg listened to part of Dihle's suggestion, requesting and receiving options for alternative truck routes for future interests as another subdivision is in the planning stages now. "We will try to come up with another way for them to get rid of their trees and whatever they have to haul away."