September 29, 2021 |
“Small Town-ism:” It’s a thing. And the residents of Riverside and Encampment are rallying behind a long-time county road and bridge employee as a way of preserving it.
Gary Jacobsen came before the Carbon County Commissioners earlier this month and requested that the road and bridge department be named for Dave Accord in honor of his 44 years of keeping the at the south end of the Platte Valley opened and maintained, and doing it with a smile.
Jacobsen said he is raising donations for a sign to be placed on the front of the shop at the south end of the Platte Valley. A cap of $25 per donation was set, Jacobsen said, allowing all residents to contribute equally. Jacobsen recounted the story of Viet Nam veteran, a local high school graduate fresh home from the war, and how a seasonal gig became the only job Dave Accord ever held.
The grader was parked in front of Accord’s home because the county didn’t have a shop in town. Neither Jacobsen nor the commissioners could remember exactly when, but the county eventually built a shop on the main drag in town. Accord was employee number one. He manned it pretty much by himself for the next 30 years or more. In the winter he plowed the roads. In the spring and summer, he graded them. In between, he maintained the trucks, the blades, the chains and all the other equipment to get the job done. None of it was light work, nor for the timid or lazy.
Jacobsen said the residents of Encampment and Riverside are in agreement. They want to honor the legendary road and bridge man by naming the county shop in his honor. A small dedication ceremony would be held in the spring. Commissioners discussed the idea. The only concerns were that it might create a precedent or be seen as a slight to county employees in other departments who have worked in buildings that already bear a name.
Road and Bridge Superintendent Kandis Fritz supported the idea, saying she was speaking as the “mother hen” of the department.
Commissioners all agreed that the honor is deserved. They struggled with how to acknowledge the loyalty and dedication of one specific employee without dismissing the work of others.
Commissioner Travis Moore put forward the idea finding a way to honor county employees without naming buildings after them. Commissioner Sue Jones agreed.
The commissioners agreed they needed more time to explore the request and consider possible alternatives. Jacobsen said while the idea might set a precedent, it was a good precedent that other towns in the county could adopt. Small Town-ism would even be appropriate for a big town like Rawlins, he said.
Commissioners agreed to put the item on the agenda of their October 5th meeting for next week.
Pictured above: File photo of a mural painted on the side of a building at the junction near Encampment and Riverside. Photo by Jim O’Reilly/Bigfoot 99.
