Laramie County approves partial vacation of Road 103 right-of-way

The Laramie County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously Jan. 20 to vacate a portion of the existing 80-foot public right-of-way for Road 103 (also identified as BCH County Road 10 and McLease Road).

County Public Works presented a viewer’s report recommending approval, and the commission approved the recommendation after brief public comment from the adjacent property owner.

Molly Bennett, Laramie County Public Works, told the commission, “The recommendation as laid out in the viewer’s report is to grant the vacation as requested.” Scott Larson of Benchmark Engineers was available to answer technical questions but did not add additional remarks during the hearing.

Bonnie Bridal, who identified herself as the owner of McCleese Ranch at 515 West Lisonbee Road in Cheyenne, said the vacation would allow her to secure her property and reduce vandalism. Bridal told commissioners that the road “is classified as a public road, but there is no access to public property at all” and that keeping the right-of-way open has limited her ability to lock gates and protect the ranch.

Commissioners discussed the unusual procedural history of the petition — earlier attempts to vacate parts of the same road had prompted public outcry and reconsideration — but said the current viewer’s report and public comments supported approval. The motion to approve the vacation passed on a roll call vote of four in favor and none opposed.

The commission did not specify any conditions attaching to the vacation in the hearing record. If the county later needs to preserve utilities or other easements, staff indicated the county has used easements in prior road vacations to retain utility access.

The decision resolves the petition as presented in the viewer’s report; details about exact parcel boundaries are contained in the viewer’s report on file with Public Works.