Hey Answer Girl -

Just wondering if you know what is to be done with that school on Bellaire - used to be Westwood, then it was McKinley-Westwood and now is Cottonwood Elementary. I have been looking at that area to purchase a home but don't want to be neighbors with a big empty building.

-Victoria

Thanks to the increasing school population in Casper (and all other populations in Casper, for that matter), Westwood/McKinley/Cottonwood/whatever-it's-called became too small for its own student body. The building itself was so small, in fact, that trailers had to be added for extra space.

So, now that all of the kiddies are going to be moved to a new, big-enough school, the current building is, as you suggested, going to remain vacant.

Mark Antrim, associate superintendent for facilities and technology for Natrona County School District - say that three times fast - said the school will be used as a "swing space."

"We're hanging on to Westwood and Fort Caspar for several years as we study growth trends," Antrim said. "That way we'll have those facilities if we need them."

The school will be kept up in case the district needs to use it during construction on a different school or when the new Cottonwood fills up. The district will reduce energy costs and other expenses for the building, but once in a while kids will again run through its halls.

Hey Answer Girl -

You might want to check into the City of Casper's dandelion ordinance they have. People might be curious what that exactly is.

-S.H.

Dandelions, while pretty and yellow and flower-like, are technically weeds.

In the fight against unsightliness, the city decided in 1993 that the adorable but destructive plants must die. They do, after all, kill surrounding vegetation (including grass) by cutting off their access to sunlight. That's not a very dandy(lion) thing to do.

So, here goes:

"It shall be the duty of every owner of any lot or parcel of ground in the limits of the city, to keep the lot or parcel of ground and alleys abutting thereon, and the sidewalk areas in front thereof free of dandelions," states chapter 8.44, "Weed and Pest Control," of the city's municipal code.

Yada, yada, yada, 10 days to comply, only notified once, keep it that way for the calendar year. There is an exception for "native areas and the natural vegetation contained therein." But I doubt anyone's front yard or alley could be considered a native area.

"A couple is to be expected," said Peter Meyers, administrative analyst for the city. "But if you have a lot we might stop by and tell you about it."

Read all about these, and other weed and pest rules, under the municipal code section on the city's Web site, www.cityofcasperwy.com.

Contact reporter Megan Lee at (307) 266-0589 or megan.lee@trib.com

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Answer Girl tackles your questions about Casper, the universe and everything else. Submit your questions by email to megan.lee@trib.com, or call Megan Lee at 266-0589.