Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation Roads topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission approves returning Vista West 1 roads to private control while reserving emergency easement
Summary
After a lengthy public hearing with dozens of residents and testimony from the fire chief, the board approved a petition to alter/vacate road dedications in Vista West 1 and reserved a perpetual county easement for emergency ingress/egress along Grass Creek Road.
The Natrona County Board of Commissioners voted to alter the public dedication status of portions of roads in the Vista West 1 subdivision, returning those segments to private control while reserving a perpetual county easement for emergency ingress and egress along Grass Creek Road.
The decision followed an extended public hearing in which homeowners from both Vista West 1 (petitioners) and Vista West 3 (opponents) described competing priorities. Petitioners pressed for privatization to reduce dust, speeding and recreational off‑road traffic, and said they would install gated access and cooperate with emergency responders. ‘‘We want to stop the excess traffic coming through our neighborhood,’’ Bob Docter, president of the Vista West 1 homeowners association, told the commission.
Residents of adjacent Vista West 3 testified that they rely on Grass Creek Road as an established route to and from their subdivision and said removing the public road dedication could leave them without legal access for emergency or utility closures. Several speakers urged the board to protect the public’s right to use the road; one witness presented a 1995 filing the board’s offices hold showing Vista West 1 previously dedicated roads to public use.
Chief Oliver, representing county emergency services, urged a compromise that protects emergency ingress/egress while allowing homeowners to limit routine public traffic. The board’s adopted motion reflects that approach: commissioners voted to vacate the public dedication but specifically reserve a perpetual county easement of appropriate width on Grass Creek Road for emergency use, with the county’s emergency management or fire chief to authorize emergency access.
The motion was seconded and carried by voice vote. Staff will draft a formal instrument documenting the easement and direction on gate and signage requirements to preserve emergency access.
Sources: Public hearing testimony (residents of Vista West 1 and 3), advice from Chief Oliver, and the county petitioners’ filing; action taken by the Natrona County Board of Commissioners.
