Johnson County, USFS Agree on Hazelton Parking Area

During their last regular meeting, Johnson County’s Commissioners approved Chairman Bill Novotny to sign a long-awaited agreement with the US Forest Service, Bighorn National Forest, for permission to construct and use a parking area on Forest Service land on Hazelton Road.

Commission Chairman Bill Novotny, in a separate interview, discussed what led to this current 30-year agreement.

Novotny said the agreement allows for an expanded parking area.

Novotny said County Road & Bridge will probably not get any of the hard surface down this year, but signs will be up and the area will be usable once Hazelton Road closes for the winter.

The agreement and the parking area are important to the Hazelton area, according to Novotny.

Although the agreement wasn’t a traditional 99-year lease that is usually seen with recreation areas on Forest Service-owned lands, the 30-year agreement is a “win,” according to Novotny.