Ten Sleep Library expansion examined by school and county

TEN SLEEP – The Washakie County School District No. 2 Board of Directors heard from County Commissioner Aaron Anderson Monday evening, with a proposal to draft an agreement before moving forward on a possible expansion of the Ten Sleep Library.

As outlined by Anderson, the county will be pursuing a state grant to expand the Ten Sleep Library by 1,600 feet, adding a meeting room, restrooms, kitchen and additional space for the acquisitions. Anderson noted that the Ten Sleep Learning Center, host of the After School Program, could be moved into the new space, helping alleviate their current budget woes. Anderson noted that while the county owns the library, the school owns the land and pays the utilities, therefore the two entities would benefit from an agreement moving forward. Anderson noted that a 75/25 cost share agreement on the estimated $130,000 expansion would be appreciated.

District No. 2 Superintendent Jimmy Phelps noted the school currently pays just less than $30,000 in utilities for the facility, per year, and that the value of the land should be included as part of the district’s matching amount. Anderson countered that the land would remain district property and had little effect on the cost of the construction.

Superintendent Phelps expressed a desire to see a school board member on the Library Board, and incorporation of such should be considered for any agreement. Anderson replied that the decision ultimately came down to the Library Board, but any expansion to the current library wouldn’t be feasible without a relationship with the school.

After Anderson outlined a deadline of Feb. 15, the district voted in favor of drafting a letter of support, and agreed to help define their role as a matching partner in the grant process, with Superintendent Phelps acting as a liaison for the district.

In other business, the district signed a lease with the Basin Masonic Lodge to lease the former Ten Sleep Masonic Lodge for six months, with an option to purchase the building for $60,000. Effective March 1, the lease stipulates that all maintenance and utilities will be paid by the district, with repairs over $1,000 being deducted from the final purchase price. Phelps noted that the six-month lease gives the School Facilities Department time to determine if finances exist to purchase the building.

The school currently uses the facility as a weight room.

The board approved a request to the School Facilities Department for $103,575 in security upgrades for the school, including reinforced, shatter-proof windows, alarms, magnetic and wireless locks, and a system for boosting cell phone reception in the facility.

In a final piece of security-related business, the board voted to support a resolution stating, “Whereas, Washakie County School District #2 is located in an isolated area of Wyoming. Whereas, the town of Ten Sleep has no local law enforcement agency. Whereas, the Washakie County Sheriff has stated that it could take up to thirty minutes for the county law enforcement to reach our district in the event of a crisis, Be it is resolved that the Washakie County School District #2 Board of Trustees supports legislation which gives local school districts the ability to create policies which regulate the carrying of guns on school district grounds and in school district facilities.”

The resolution, crafted by Superintendent Phelps, comes after the issue of guns in schools was raised by the Wyoming Legislature last year. Phelps stated that he would recommend a policy that allows board-approved, qualified staff to conceal carry on campus.

Wyoming House Bill 114, or the “Wyoming Repeal Gun Free Zones Act,” was introduced early last year and initially passed the State House by an 8-1 vote. The bill was later killed in the Senate after rewording that many lawmakers felt turned the act into a gun control issue. The bill, as originally worded, would have allowed the concealed carry of firearms at “any meeting of a government entity; any meeting of the legislature or a committee…; any public school, college or professional athletic event whether or not related to firearms; any public elementary or second school facility; and any public college or university facility without the written consent of the security service or college or university.”