SHERIDAN — The Sheridan County commissioners voted 4-0 to reject the vacation of a portion of Carbon Hill Road earlier this week, effectively stalling applicant Cam Forbes’ plans to locate a solar energy facility on his property, including a portion of the road.
During the meeting, commissioners said the rejection of the vacation was not due to concerns with the proposed solar facility, but with the commissions’ desire to hold onto a historic 8.5-mile road — first platted in 1892 — that could potentially become useful as the county continues to grow and expand.
“I am not in favor of this vacation, and it doesn’t have anything to do with solar farms or solar panels,” Commission Chairman Lonnie Wright said. “It has to do with vacating a portion of the road and leaving the rest intact. That makes no sense to me.”
“I just don’t see the public good in this (vacation), unless we’re talking about the solar farm and reducing electricity costs, which could be a good thing, but that’s all vague and in the future,” Commissioner Tom Ringley said.
Prior to its decision Tuesday, the commission heard testimony from three Sheridan residents speaking against the vacation and for preserving the existing roadway in its entirety for the sake of future development.
“I think with the population in Sheridan County increasing…I think that road might be needed across there to get in from the new subdivisions on Beaver Creek that have already been approved,” nearby landowner Roger Reinke said. “…I’d recommend that you consider keeping that road open.”
The commission also held an objections hearing regarding the vacation June 28, and, at that time, Forbes was the only speaker out of six to speak in favor of the project.
The commission’s decision is the latest roadblock to Forbes’ efforts to house a solar energy facility on his property. Last yearthe commission voted 5-0 against a proposed facility on Forbes’ property on the west side of Swaim Road.
One of the reasons the previous application failed was that it also would have required the vacation of a county road — in that case, the Little Goose-Beaver Creek Road, which was first platted in 1902.
Speaking at the time, Commissioner Nick Siddle said, “None of us know what’s going to happen 100 years from now, and none of us are going to care. But our children and grandchildren might care if the possibility to build that road goes away.”
Siddle echoed those comments during the discussion of the Carbon Hill Road vacation Tuesday.
“This was designated 100 years before our time, and we don’t know what our grandchildren will need 100 years from now,” Siddle said. “So I can’t vote for this.”
Commissioner Christi Haswell was absent from the commission meeting and did not vote on the matter.
In other Sheridan County Commission news:
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The commission approved partial fire restrictions in the county, which will begin Friday, July 22. The restrictions prohibit fireworks while allowing small recreational fires at residences within 15 feet of green grass and cleared of flammables around the fire.
Charcoal fires are permitted when contained within enclosed grills, and trash fires are permitted between the hours of 6 pm and 8 am in a container with a spark arrester located in the center of a cleared area of 15 feet in radius.
Branding activities and the use of cutting torches or electric welders are permitted in cleared areas of 15 feet in radius. There are no restrictions on smoking.
The county fire restrictions will remain in effect until cooler and wetter weather arrives this fall, Sheridan County Fire Warden Chris Thomas said. The restrictions apply to all state, county and private lands within Sheridan County, except for lands within the incorporated cities and towns and federal lands managed by the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management.
BLM lands in Sheridan County are planning to implement similar restrictions to what was approved in the county, Thomas said. During its July 19 meeting, the Ranchester Town Council voted to apply the partial fire restrictions within the town limits.
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