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Residents press Pueblo County on school and road safety; town hall set for Oct. 2
Summary
Public commenters at the Sept. 25 BOCC meeting urged action on school and road safety. Dan Nielsen called for a "paradigm shift" on violence and nonlethal safeguards in schools; Wendy Kern described repeated dangerous truck behavior near schools and agency confusion and said a town hall on public safety will be held Oct. 2.
Two residents used the public-comment period at the Pueblo County Board of County Commissioners meeting on Sept. 25 to press officials for stronger safety measures in schools and on county roads.
Dan Nielsen of Pueblo West said the community needs a "paradigm shift" on violence and suggested nonlethal precautions such as fire extinguishers, handcuffs and tasers in schools and designated staff to act as "guard dogs." "We need to have a paradigm shift," Nielsen said, criticizing recent state legislation he said made it harder for law-abiding citizens to possess firearms and arguing regulation alone would not prevent attacks.
Wendy Kern described repeated incidents of truck drivers running stop signs and speeding on local roads near schools, recounted calls to the sheriff’s office and State Patrol and said responsibility for haul-road safety has moved from planning to a roadworks consultant that focuses on road repair rather than safety. Kern said drivers without CDLs and trucks out of service have been observed and asked, "Where does the safety start?" She told commissioners she had reported incidents to multiple agencies and was seeking clarity on enforcement.
The chair announced a public safety town hall for Oct. 2 focused on school safety and invited community members to attend; the chair said the mayor, district attorney, sheriff and school board members would also be involved. Commissioners said they would follow up with DOT contacts and seek to coordinate enforcement and community outreach.
No formal county actions were taken during public comment; commissioners acknowledged the concerns and scheduled further discussion at the Oct. 2 event.
