December 21, 2023 |
Photo – Transportation Master Plan cover – Courtesy engagewhitehorse.ca/tmp
The lack of public interest in Saratoga’s Transportation Alternatives Master Plan has town officials nearly begging for more people to participate..
In early 2022, Saratoga’s Planning Commission began looking into building a sidewalk from downtown Saratoga to Valley Foods, along Highway 130. Planning Commission Chairwoman McCall Burau attempted to secure state funding for the construction project. Wyoming Department of Transportation informed Burau that she would have more success applying for a grant to pay for the design of a new walkway plan for the town.
In October of 2022, WYDOT awarded Saratoga a $200,000 grant to conduct a Transportation Alternatives Master Plan. The town’s transportation committee selected a Denver, Colorado-firm, OV Consulting, to perform the town-wide study of sidewalks and pathways and to determine where improvements are needed.
This past September, OV Consulting held its first public meeting at the Platte Valley Community Center. OV Consulting owner Chris Vogelsang gave a brief presentation about what the Transportation Alternatives Master Plan, or TAPS as it is being called, entails. Afterwards, the roughly 30 attendees were asked to give their opinions on where the town needs improvements to its walkability.
The main takeaway from September’s public meeting was that most citizens do not want Saratoga to change in any significant way.
Fast forward to Tuesday’s Saratoga town council meeting. Public Works Director Emery Penner said OV Consulting has narrowed down the list of potential walkway improvements. Penner asked people to attend the next TAPS public meeting on January 17th.
Mayor Chuck Davis said he has asked various organizations in town to comment on the Plan. Penner once again implored more residents to participate in the TAPS process.
OV Consulting created the website saratogamoves.com to inform the public about the Plan. Also on the website was a survey asking residents what types of walkway improvements they would like to see. Mayor Davis said he was surprised by how few people visited the site.
The saratogamoves.com survey is no longer available.
Penner said he believes the low attendance may stem from a misconception of what the Transportation Alternatives Master Plan is. He encouraged people to attend the January 17th meeting to learn more.
Mayor Davis said OV Consulting has continued to collect walkway suggestions, but they need more involvement from the public. The mayor said the more outlandish ideas have been discarded. Mayor Davis said the Transportation Alternatives Master Plan will focus on improvements to the existing sidewalks in town.
Mayor Davis said on top of repairs to the town’s sidewalks, OV Consulting is suggesting a paved walkway from the hot pools parking lot to the bridge leading to Veteran’s Island. The mayor said the original idea of installing a sidewalk from town to Valley Foods hasn’t been forgotten.
Mayor Davis said people have legitimate questions about the feasibility of constructing a sidewalk to Valley Foods.
Mayor Davis said one improvement project that has garnered a lot of public support has been the creation of sidewalks from both the Saratoga Elementary School and Middle High School to the town’s library on Elm Street.
Penner said the town isn’t preparing to build anything yet. The public works director said the Transportation Alternatives Master Plan is simply a way for the town to see where improvements can be made, find out how much those improvements may cost, and then find funding sources for any potential construction projects.
Penner invited everyone to attend the next TAPS public meeting and give their opinions, both positive and negative.
The next Transportation Alternatives Master Plan meeting will be at 5:30 pm on January 17th at the Platte Valley Community Center in Saratoga. Visit www.saratogamoves.com for more information about the TAPS plan.
