I Feel Like Dancing. . .

June 19, 2014
Riverton, WY

Last Thursday and Friday, I literally felt like dancing in the street when I saw the paving machine and the steam roller make their journeys up and down in front of my house. I've lived on this street for over 20 years, and each year the condition of the asphalt deteriorated down to the gravel road base.

June 19, 2014

I complained about the streets in my neighborhood to the mayor, the public works director, and the city council. I knocked on the doors of houses on three streets and asked the occupants to fill out forms and send them to the city.

Two years ago, Fremont County voters approved a four-year, one cent sales tax, entitled Fix Our Roads. With its passage, my dream of having the neighborhood streets repaired became more of a possibility. I attended several meetings of the Fix Our Roads Committee and requested my neighborhood streets be placed on the list for repair.

I was thrilled last summer when the committee placed my neighborhood at the top of the list for street repair; however, the city council refused to allocate the repairs until the money was in hand.

In early May, I contacted the public works office and was told that work would begin on May 12, 2014, and indeed, cement work began that day. The paving contractor delivered notices of street closure to the houses on my block on Wednesday, June 18, 2014. I nearly hugged the guy that came to my door.

What a difference a smooth surface makes. I can actually walk across the street without worrying about turning my ankle on loose stones. The noise level of passing cars and trucks has been reduced considerably. I feel like "dancing in the street."