Thumbs up to the Powell school board for deciding to hold a public auction for a 1.29-acre lot on North Evarts Street. Located near downtown, the property housed the old high school auditorium/pool for decades. It has remained vacant since 2010, and will go up for auction Tuesday.

School board trustees had to choose between buyers who are interested in the property now and a government entity that might want it in the future.

During a public hearing last month, residents asked the Park County School District No. 1 Board of Trustees to consider giving the land for a future Powell Branch Library. We agree it would be a great location for a library, close to Powell Middle School and in the center of town.

However, there’s a significant hitch in that plan: the Park County Commission never asked for the property.

The commission ultimately oversees the Park County Library System, and it’s unlikely a new Powell library will happen any time soon, said Commissioner Tim French.

French said last week that the commission is focused on finishing the new multi-purpose building at the Park County Fairgrounds before looking at another major building project. That makes sense.

He also said commissioners aren’t opposed to a new Powell library, but a lot of details — such as funding — must still be worked out.

Meanwhile, the Powell school district is sitting on a prime piece of property and decided to sell it instead of waiting.

That also makes sense.

“We believe the market to sell is good now,” Superintendent Kevin Mitchell said last month.

Selling the lot now means putting it back on the county tax rolls, and development — whether commercial or residential — could begin soon at the vacant site. Both of those things are good for Powell.

Thumbs up to the 25th anniversary of the Wyoming Adopt-A-Highway program.

Launched in 1989 by Gov. Mike Sullivan, first lady Jane Sullivan — a Powell native — and state Highway Department Superintendent Leno Menghini, the effort was an immediate success. At the time, Wyoming was spending $900,000 a year just to pick up litter, according to Interchange, a Wyoming Department of Transportation publication.

While the litter budget has grown to $2 million, it would be a lot worse without the approximately 1,000 groups statewide who “adopt” a 2-mile stretch of the state’s highways and volunteer their time to keep them clean.

WDOT provides orange safety vests and trash bags and erects signs to recognize the cleaning crews. Most of their work is paper products that people allow to float from their vehicles and plop down alongside our highways.

We hail those who put in the time and effort to keep Wyoming as beautiful as possible while handing out a big thumbs down to those who litter the state. We advise people to do two things: Reduce the litter and join the effort to clean up Wyoming.

Thumbs down to A&E for canceling “Longmire.”

Although it’s filmed in New Mexico, there’s a lot of Wyoming in the series, which is based on author Craig Johnson’s books and short stories. The show was the highest-rated scripted series in A&E’s history during its first three seasons, but a slight ratings decline, along with concerns about the demographics — too many older folks are fans, which doesn’t appeal to advertisers — led to the decision.

Sheriff Walt Longmire, a fictional Wyoming lawman, is an appealing character on the page and the screen. While we have the promise of fresh stories from Johnson, millions of fans in the Cowboy State and across the globe would like to see more episodes of the series.

We trust some network is aware of that and will return Sheriff Walt and his sidekicks to our screens.

Thumbs up to Homesteader Days, which arrives this weekend bigger and better than ever.

The Homesteader Museum, working in tandem with the Powell Valley Chamber of Commerce, is putting on a wonderful two-day show that includes a street dance at Plaza Diane Friday night, followed by kids games, demonstrations of blacksmithing and pioneer farm work among other draws by the museum on Saturday.

It’s a free event to mark the harvest and provide a glimpse of our past. See you there.