Signs, signs, everywhere signs

Signs were a top topic of discussion for Encampment Town Council during their October 12 meeting. Bob Herring, an Encampment resident and business owner, brought the discussion forward under public comment.

Herring, along with owning the Good Things second-hand store in Encampment, owns a short term rental on Macfarlane Avenue listed through VRBO. The property is near a local restaurant, 307 Pub & Grub, which sits at the corner of 6th Street and Macfarlane Avenue. According to Herring, visitors to the restaurant have previously caused parking concerns for his short term rental.

“We get people who park across the street at the 307 (Pub & Grub) that take up that parking spot,” said Herring. “In winter time, snow gets on the corner and (we) try to keep it open for our snowmachiners with trailers and they can’t park there if somebody from across the street is parking there.”

In an attempt to combat the parking issue, Herring said he wanted to place a sign in front of his short term rental announcing it was for residential parking only. The sign, said Herring, would have arrows pointing in either direction.

“I don’t know if it’s enforceable, but most people when they see a sign that says residential parking only wouldn’t park there,” said Herring.

Typically, the placement of a sign would go through the Encampment Planning Commission. According to section 17.44.130 of the municipal code, before a sign can be displayed in any manner a permit must be submitted to and approved by the planning commission. Herring, however, said he wanted to put the sign in the street rather than on his private property.

“It would be in the street because if I put it on the property line, it would be behind the trees and you wouldn’t see the sign,” said Herring.

Herring’s proposal that a sign be placed on Town property rather than his own, private property raised some concern among members of the council. One concern was that the sign, being on public property, would become the responsibility of the Town of Encampment and would need to be maintained by the municipality. Another was the precedent approving a sign for residential parking in the public right-of-way would set.

“In my opinion, if there’s going to be signs it should be on private property not on Town property,” said Mayor Shannon Fagan.

Councilmember Stas Banach took a middle-of-the-road approach in regards to the signage itself saying he was neither in favor nor opposed to it. The council member agreed with Fagan and other members of the council that the sign should be on private property and not on Town property.

“It is a business, it’s zoned as a business and it is run as a business and I am required to have parking for a business,” said Herring.

Councilmember Bill Craig replied he believed that municipal code dictated that, as a business, Herring was required to have off-street parking. According to municipal code, all facilities built after 2009 are required to have off-street parking regardless of residential, business or industrial zoning.

After discussion, Herring was directed to apply for a sign permit through the planning commission.

Another sign issue raised by Herring was that of yield signs on the corners of 6th Street and Macfarland Avenue. Herring has previously raised the issue of traffic and speed on Macfarland Avenue, which turns into Wyoming Highway 70, to the Encampment Town Council.

“I have been on the council for years, I have complained to the City for years and almost every city policeman or sheriff that we’ve had about stopping people or getting people to slow down,” said Herring. “What I would like to see on the corner of 6th and McFarland is a stop sign and have a three way stop. The ones coming down 6th street going up the hill would have right-of-way all the time.”

According to Herring, he had talked with someone from the State of Wyoming who claimed the yield signs currently in place were owned by the Town of Encampment. Encampment Police Chief Kevin Shue told the council he had reached out to the Wyoming Department of Transportation but, as of the meeting, had not heard back. Shue and members of the council, however, expressed their concern about regulating traffic on a state highway.

“We may own the sign itself but we don’t own the control of traffic on a state highway,” said Shue.

With the ownership of the traffic signs at 6th and Macfarland in question, the council tabled the discussion until their November meeting.

The next meeting of the Encampment Town Council will be at 7 p.m. on November 9 at Encampment Town Hall.