Mayor outlines town viewpoint on school gym

TEN SLEEP – Mayor Ernie Beckley shared his perspective on the issue of the demolition of the Ten Sleep School gym and his interactions with the Washakie County School District No. 2 Board of Trustees that lead up to this decision during the Ten Sleep Town Council meeting on the evening of Dec. 6.

Beckley said that he took issue with the statement issued by the school board that was published in the Dec. 1 issue of the newspaper. It reads as follows:

“The school board opted to proceed with the original plan of complete demolition of the existing Ten Sleep School gym after considering the information and input provided. There was no opposition to retain the building if complete details of a plan were provided. Unfortunately, the information needed was incomplete, leaving the board with the difficult decision to proceed with demolition in the interest of assuring the construction of the new school could go on as planned.”

Beckley claimed that this statement created a misleading perception of the Town of Ten Sleep’s involvement in this process.

He said that the school board had several months to raise any questions or concerns over a deal for Ten Sleep to purchase the building from the school, and that any lack of correspondence during this time was on the side of the school. Beckley also stated that when the time came to make a decision after these months had passed, the school issued requests of the Town to be completed within an infeasible amount of time to “meet their deadline.”

Ultimately, Beckley stated that responsibility for the decision to demolish the old gym rather than selling it rests on the Ten Sleep school board, and that he does not agree with their decision.

OTHER BUSINESS

Becky Cooper, a concerned community member was at the meeting and shared an experience she had on Second Street in Ten Sleep.

She said that as she was driving down the main street in Ten Sleep, another driver pulled out in front of her and she had to swerve into the opposite lane to avoid a wreck. Cooper attributed the incident to there being too many cars parked near the corner where the other driver was turning from near the Pony Express, reducing visibility for both drivers. Cooper then stated that a pedestrian was also nearby.

She stated that this is a serious issue, and due to an increase in traffic through Ten Sleep in recent years she worries that someone may get hurt in a similar situation.

She expressed her concern over this event to the council, and advised them to take action by writing letters to the highway department.

Mayor Ernie Beckley said that he would continue his correspondence with the Wyoming Department of Trans