To fence or not to fence

WHEATLAND — A concerned parent advocated for a fence along the Lewis Park side of the irrigation canal during the Wheatland Town Council’s regular meeting July 9.
Wheatland native Mira Taylor addressed the council during public comments. Taylor told the council she has small children and she takes them to Lewis Park every week. She said they love the park, but the canal presents a danger to small children.
“I think it’s in the community’s best interest to be proactive in this,” Taylor said.
Taylor said parents should be responsible for their children, but the irrigation ditch is a tempting target for toddlers. She said it would only take a moment for a small child to reach the ditch while a parent is distracted by other children.
Taylor said she visited with the irrigation district, whose representative indicated a fence along the Lewis Park side would not interfere with the district.
“I personally have pulled three children out of the ditch in my 35 years here in Wheatland, and they were not my children,” Kathy Jones said.
Jones said the town should be proactive before some child dies.
Councilor Bill Britz asked why nothing has been done so far.

City Attorney Doug Weaver said one issue that came up in past discussions was “where do you stop?”
“Do you put it all through town?” Weaver said. “There are ditches all through town.”
Weaver said youth may be tempted to climb a fence or open gates to get to the ditch anyway.
“I think your biggest concern, and it sounds really odd, is that you increase your liability when you have a fence and you can’t get to the child,” Weaver said. “I mean, he could fall in a number of different places, and we can’t get to him because of this fence.”
Taylor said she was fine with just fencing the Lewis Park side.
“My concern is little kids that you can’t teach to not go up there,” Taylor said. “I have playgroups with moms that have three, four children. They’ll look away, and that kid will beeline for the water … they always beeline there when they’re little.”
Taylor said obviously parents must instruct their older children not to fall in there, but 2-year-olds are another matter and their playground is really close to the ditch.
Britz said the council just passed the town’s fiscal year 2018-19 budget and has nothing in the budget for a fence.
Taylor asked if the town was open to fundraising efforts. She said a lot of parents would probably get behind something like that.
Jones, who works for Basin Electric Power Cooperative, said she knows someone who would probably match any local fundraising efforts.
Councilor Thane Ashenhurst said perhaps a 4-foot fence with gates for access would be sufficient. He said a 3-year-old could get a gate open, but not quickly. He said it would be enough of an obstacle to give a parent time to catch up with their toddler before the toddler gets in the ditch.
Ashenhurst asked Taylor if she was willing to research costs for a fence. She said she would.
Merlin Hitt suggested fencing in the youth playground area instead.
Councilors said they would discuss the matter at their next workshop.