Wyo. Seeks Name Change for 'Obscene' Road
POWELL, Wyo. (AP) - High school kids routinely steal the road signs as
trophies. Pastor Bud Wells can't stand to put the road name on his church
literature.
County Road 6FU southwest of Cody got its name in 1980, when Park County
adopted an alpha-numeric road naming system.
It's raised many eyebrows over the years, and now a group of residents are
asking county commissioners for a change.
More than 30 property owners have signed a petition asking for dual designation,
or two names for the road.
``The name of this road, with its obscene overtone, has really been a thorn for
me,'' resident Terry Hinkle said. ``It is probably one of the most embarrassing
road names the county has in the books. There is no other road in the United
States, I can assure you, that has the road name FU.''
In addition to County Road 6FU, petitioners want the road named Sheep Mountain
Road, though some commissioners say that may confuse dispatchers. The
county already has a Sheep Mountain Lane.
About 40 roads in Park County have two names. However, county officials say that
doesn't mean they don't cause problems.
``There is no policy on how to handle road name changes of this type,'' county
engineer Frank Page said. ``If we start changing road names now, we could open
up a floodgate here of everyone wanting to change their road's name.''
Issues could also arise with the postal service, county dispatch, fire department,
license plates, utility companies and even personal checks.
``I can't disagree that the road name is ugly obscene,'' chief information officer
Mike Conners said. ``But dual designations are generally a bad idea when
dealing with E-911 and dispatch. There's already a Sheep Mountain Lane and that
could be very confusing in an emergency.''
Commissioners rejected a similar request in 1991, but appeared to agree
something should be done this time around, asking residents to present them
with a list of potential road names at a future meeting.
``The particular nomenclature of the road is problematic,'' commission chair Tim
Morrison said. ``6FU has to go; it has to change.''
POWELL, Wyo. (AP) - High school kids routinely steal the road signs as
trophies. Pastor Bud Wells can't stand to put the road name on his church
literature.
County Road 6FU southwest of Cody got its name in 1980, when Park County
adopted an alpha-numeric road naming system.
It's raised many eyebrows over the years, and now a group of residents are
asking county commissioners for a change.
More than 30 property owners have signed a petition asking for dual designation,
or two names for the road.
``The name of this road, with its obscene overtone, has really been a thorn for
me,'' resident Terry Hinkle said. ``It is probably one of the most embarrassing
road names the county has in the books. There is no other road in the United
States, I can assure you, that has the road name FU.''
In addition to County Road 6FU, petitioners want the road named Sheep Mountain
Road, though some commissioners say that may confuse dispatchers. The
county already has a Sheep Mountain Lane.
About 40 roads in Park County have two names. However, county officials say that
doesn't mean they don't cause problems.
``There is no policy on how to handle road name changes of this type,'' county
engineer Frank Page said. ``If we start changing road names now, we could open
up a floodgate here of everyone wanting to change their road's name.''
Issues could also arise with the postal service, county dispatch, fire department,
license plates, utility companies and even personal checks.
``I can't disagree that the road name is ugly obscene,'' chief information officer
Mike Conners said. ``But dual designations are generally a bad idea when
dealing with E-911 and dispatch. There's already a Sheep Mountain Lane and that
could be very confusing in an emergency.''
Commissioners rejected a similar request in 1991, but appeared to agree
something should be done this time around, asking residents to present them
with a list of potential road names at a future meeting.
``The particular nomenclature of the road is problematic,'' commission chair Tim
Morrison said. ``6FU has to go; it has to change.''