Not every meeting I attend as mayor is comfortable. Sometimes, folks are disappointed with something the City did or didn’t do, and they want to share their feelings with me. I had one of those meetings with a man who was disappointed with City requirements on his plans to build near a creek. I find that getting together and talking through the problem often ends up with a good conclusion – each side learning about the other leads to understanding. I am happy to report that is what happened in this case.
The gold mine just west of town is still moving forward. George from U.S. Gold Corp. came by to give me an update and the good news is progress is being made. There are still some issues they need to overcome, but I love their optimism. I am looking forward to my first tour of a gold mine.
I joined our team from the Board of Public Utilities for a meeting at the base to talk about their plans for growth and the need for additional water and sewer services. I love the relationship we have with our military partners. We have been partners since 1867. The base is constructing new buildings in preparation for the missile upgrade and for a new helicopter scheduled to replace the Vietnam-era Hueys. The military is our largest employer, and it is comforting to see them making these kinds of investments.
Data center developers have found Cheyenne, and I have been fielding many calls looking for information. I got a call from an old friend who works for an engineering company that was hired by a Japanese firm to help them site a renewable energy project and data center. It’s a small world, and it was fun to catch up and share the exciting news going on in Cheyenne.
I love Rooted in Cheyenne. It is a nonprofit that has a mission to plant street trees in residential areas to build a vibrant urban forest. Saturday, I joined a bunch of volunteers to plant 103 trees. My team of six planted 10 trees in the morning. Digging holes for trees in Cheyenne is manual labor and at my age I sure felt it. I so appreciate the sponsors who help fund the program, the homeowners who sign up to take care of the trees, and the volunteers who plant them. I have learned so much about the correct way to plant trees and it is amazing the trees I planted in the past lived. Don’t forget to water your trees – it’s the most important lesson the forestry guys shared with us.
Cheyenne has a Historic Preservation Board, and they are dedicated to safeguarding Cheyenne’s historic buildings, districts, and cultural landmarks. The Board joined me to proclaim May as Historic Preservation Month. I’m not sure if it is just me getting old, but I love the old (historic) buildings in Cheyenne and our efforts to preserve them.
One of the really fun things I get to do is reading to grade school classes. This week I was invited to Wyoming Reads at the Library. The library uses this event to encourage kids to join the summer reading program. I got to read to first graders from Freedom and Arp Elementary schools. The kids were amazing and the books they chose for me to read were fun. Class Two at the Zoo was my favorite. Getting kids to read during the summer helps prevent learning loss.
I went to Torrington for the Judiciary Committee interim meeting. One of the challenges our local retailers face is organized retail theft. Retailers, big and small, are being targeted and it threatens the survival of many. We all pay the cost through higher prices at the checkout counter. The Cheyenne Chamber testified, and I was pleased the committee voted to draft bills to increase the misdemeanor theft penalties, lowered the threshold for the theft to become a felony, and reduced the number of repeat convictions to be charged with a felony. This is good news for the many retailers in our community and state.
We had a power outage last week that shut down much of Downtown. I learned it was caused by a fiber contractor hitting a three-phase underground power service. Black Hills Energy stopped by to update me on the cause and to share their frustration with the number of strikes to their utility services. Hitting underground gas and electric lines is a real risk to the contractor and to the neighboring businesses and residents. We need to work with our contracting community to make sure these incidents don’t continue to happen.
I met with two people looking to serve on city boards. I want to take a minute to thank them and the people who volunteer to serve on one of the many boards that serve the residents of Cheyenne. You make a difference. Thank you.
We all know Cheyenne is looking for new water resources to help our city through a potential loss of the water we receive from the Colorado River. I got a call from Casey, a landman who wanted to talk about the potential of finding water on area ranches that could be delivered to Cheyenne. I really appreciate Casey and others looking for ways to help Cheyenne find the water we need.
During the last legislative session, I was at the Capitol to talk with our Laramie County legislators about property tax reductions and the impact on our community. I was frustrated because we couldn’t agree on the numbers to even have a conversation. Our general fund budget is $71.6 million and the Legislature had calculated that number more than $50 million higher. I had lunch with the Revenue Committee Chairman Rep. Tony Locke and Rep. Jayme Lien to talk about how we could work together in the future. Municipalities across the state stand ready to provide the Legislature with any information they need to make decisions. We are experts on municipal government as we live it every day. I appreciate Chairman Locke and his willingness to collaborate with the Wyoming Association of Municipalities, and I shared my office is just blocks from the Capitol and my willingness to be available should he or any legislator need information.
This weekend our country will celebrate Memorial Day to honor the men and women of our armed forces who gave their lives while serving. Please take a minute to think about and honor them this weekend.