SUBLETTE COUNTY – At the Sublette County commissioners’ Jan. 17 meeting, they asked Road & Bridge supervisor Billy Pape about what he uses on snow-covered roads for traction and melting.

Chair Sam White and commissioners Doug Vickrey, Tom Noble, Mack Bradley and Dave Stephens went into that conversation after Vickrey mentioned citizen complaints.

Citizens have complained to him about the messy chunks of snow and ice that drop off their vehicles onto garage floors and melt, leaving a residue that is easily tracked into a house, Vickrey said.

He asked if Pape would consider an experiment ­– going one month without using salt.

Pape explained that he uses a sand-salt mix and the added sand is what creates the “slime” – not the salt. In his opinion, he would use the straight Ice Slicer, which is meant to be put down by itself.

But when salt melts the snow and ice, it’s the sand that causes the slime and dirty footprints, he said.

Wyoming is one of the last states that allows sand on its winter roads, he added. In two years, the state might not allow any sand use in winter. He mixes 8-percent sand with the Ice Slicer and could cut it to 4 percent, he said

He wouldn’t use any at all except in 2009, then-commissioners said Road & Bridge needed a different option because “we only used sand” and trucks and school buses were getting stuck.

“I hate the mix because you get that grime that sticks to the vehicles,” he said.

Using straight salt melts the ice to water and still gives traction, he said, “and doesn’t track as far.” It also doesn’t affect the environment like sidewalk salt.

WYDOT uses brine on Highway 191 to Jackson, he said.

The town of Pinedale won’t use any salt on its municipal streets, said town public works manager Abram Pearce, because the streets melt into the stormwater system that empties into Pine Creek.

“We get complaints we don’t bare our roads like the county does but we won’t use salt,” Pearce said.

Noble said he prefers a “mag-watered” road over a rough road and a clean road over an icy one, mainly for safety.

Pape said most people hate salt. “They hate it.”

Stephens asked about using sand for gripping; Pape said it blows off a road to the edges.

Vickrey said Pape should use what works best in his judgment and citizens should drive with more caution in winter.

“Cut out the sand and give it a trial,” White asked Pape. “Or try to use it more sparingly?”

County Clerk Carrie Long reminded commissioners that the topic was not on the agenda – “If the commissioners are going to have this discussion can you let me know and put it on the agenda so the public can have input?”

Moving forward

In other agenda topics, Dr. Brendan Fitzsimmons was reappointed to the position of Sublette County Public Health Officer.

White also guided them through a discussion impacted by the county maintenance employees’ use of public parking, requested by Wind River O2 owner Audrey and Clayton Wallace. Maintenance supervisor Andre Irey agreed to ask four of his eight employees to use other parking spaces than those around the business at the corner of Mill Street.

The public parking is provided by the town of Pinedale’s commercial district and the county has a small parking lot that the Wallaces said are seldom used

Although he cited snowplowing problems and having to move vehicles, White said the discussion was going to be resolved that day. The concepts of a different transition point or expanded county-owned parking were mulled. The next commissioners meeting takes place Friday, Feb. 2 instead of Tuesday, Feb. 6.