A public administrative hearing on whether to establish Penrose County Road — sometimes referred to in testimony as Penrose Lane — was held July 1 before the Sheridan County Board of County Commissioners under Wyoming Statute 24-3-118. The county’s deputy attorney, Clint Beaver, opened the proceeding to create an administrative record; the record was closed at the end of testimony and the commissioners said they will take the record under advisement before making a decision.

Why it matters: Establishing a county road can change who controls access, who pays damages and maintenance, and how adjacent private landowners may use or restrict the route. The law that governs the process (Wyo. Stat. 24-3-118) directs the commissioners to act in the public good and to consider appraisers’ damage reports when objections are filed.

What happened at the hearing: Attorney Carson Tanner, appearing for several landowners, said his clients generally support designation of Penrose County Road but seek protective conditions. Tanner said the appraiser’s report showed roughly $27,000 in damages recommended to be awarded to his clients, and that those clients would withdraw their damage claims and objections if the county agreed to a list of restrictions and assurances. The bullet points Tanner and his clients requested included: establishing and enforcing a 15 mph speed limit; prohibiting parking along the road; a written county commitment to maintain the road in its current unpaved condition and width unless statutory requirements force a change; any road widening to occur only on the south side of the road; and private control of vegetation on the north side while the county (and Game and Fish where applicable) manage vegetation on the south side.

Several landowners testified about nonmotorized use of Penrose Lane and concerns over safety and privacy. Landowner John Milutich described routine pedestrian, bicycle and jogging traffic on the lane and urged the commissioners to preserve a safe environment for residents and recreational users. Resident Margo Hennett described a past county roadside maintenance action she characterized as clear-cutting, and said that experience heightened property owners’ concerns about future roadside vegetation handling.

Wyoming Game and Fish representative Dustin Shoreman testified the department supports designation of the county road because it would guarantee public access to the National Forest and resolve easement issues where adjoining properties currently lack legal easements to cross department land. Shoreman said, absent county-road designation, the department and affected landowners would face a potentially lengthy negotiation to create individual easements.

Procedure and next steps: Deputy County Attorney Clint Beaver read the statute that authorizes these proceedings, explained the exhibits already in the administrative file (including the appraiser’s report and multiple written objections and letters), and set ground rules for testimony. The commissioners did not reach or announce a final decision at the meeting; Beaver closed the administrative record and said the board will review the record and schedule a time to deliberate and issue a decision in the future.

Points of clarification recorded at the hearing: a commissioner noted that establishing a posted speed limit on a county road typically requires a traffic study. Tanner and the landowners acknowledged they were not aware of a formal traffic study having been completed. Tanner stated his clients were prepared to waive the appraisers’ recommended damages (the $27,000 figure cited in testimony) in exchange for the listed conditions, but any such agreement would depend on the board’s actions.

The board took no formal vote on establishment at this meeting; rather, the hearing record is closed and the commissioners will weigh the record before acting.