I have been asked many times when the new Senior Activity Center will open. For a bit of history, the County Commissioners put the senior center on the last 6th Penny sales tax election and our Laramie County voters overwhelmingly supported the project. The new center was constructed on federally funded public housing land with a recorded declaration of trust. Before the building can be occupied and in order to transfer the deed to Laramie County, the feds require an extensive environmental review process before the building can be occupied. The good news is the final environmental report is now out for a 15-day comment period, and it could be that the building will open sometime in June.
Judy and I spent the Memorial Day holiday with friends from Cheyenne that recently moved to Texas. Breckenridge was beautiful and we had a blast hanging out for a few days. I wear a POW/MIA bracelet most days and this weekend was a reminder that we have too many veterans that have yet to come home. Col. Stanley Clark was shot down during his service in Vietnam and I hope someday his family will get closure with his repatriation. Until that time, I will wear his bracelet.
Our City Clerk, Kylie Soden, has worked for the city for 25 years. She started as a licensing tech and has worked in most positions in the office over the years. We spent time talking about her experiences and I thanked her for her years of service to our residents. We are blessed to have Kylie and all our employees working for our community.
I had lunch with Commissioner Malm this week. I love the partnership between the city and county. They tease us incessantly but always step up and lead in our county. We discussed the upcoming work on Dell Range and the partnership to extend Storey Boulevard to detour the traffic, our partnership on our Joint Communication Center and 911, and the recent challenges handling 201 exceptions. Being able to sit down and work together is a blessing that many cities and counties in our state can’t do.
I have known Councilwoman Dr. Michelle Aldrich since our time at East High School. I enjoy getting to spend time with council members to compare notes and collaborate on the issues we are working on. Two hours and a great cup of coffee later, I think we solved many of those problems. It is a busy time with the budget, parking, employee compensation, city boards, the Pumphouse, and the DDA. It sure seems like City Council is much busier than it was 15 to 25 years ago when I served.
The Mayor’s Youth Council held their graduation ceremony during our city council meeting. Chairwoman Molly Madsen from East High School gave the State of the Youth address and her perspective on the value of the program would make a perfect marketing brochure on the benefits of the Mayor’s Youth Council. We had six seniors graduate and a couple have been in the program since I was first elected. Watching them as they grew over the years has been gratifying. I know they will be successful in their lives and will leave the Youth Council with a good understanding of how local government works. Nice job on the speech, Molly.
Our City budget passed on second reading. One major amendment to the budget added $100,000 from reserves to pay for police overtime. The increased funding will be earmarked to help meet City Council’s goal of slowing down speeding cars and combating vehicles that make excessive noise. During the month of May, the police have made 1,443 traffic stops. This additional funding will allow more targeted enforcement, hopefully making our community safer.
Cheyenne is blessed to have people who have made significant investments in building business parks. These parks become the home for great companies that provide quality jobs for our families. I met with one of the parks this week to discuss our development agreement and to talk about ways we can work together to help modernize it. For LEADS to be successful, we need our privately owned business parks. I enjoyed the conversation and appreciate what they are doing for Cheyenne.
I was privileged to attend the Southeast Wyoming Builders Association membership meeting to help present four scholarship awards to Laramie County seniors. I love that the SEWBA is paying it forward by helping educate the next generation. It takes a lot of volunteers to manage the program and raise the funds. The meeting was held at LCCC, and it was the first time I have been in the Center for Conferences & Institutes since they have updated the exterior of the building. You will not recognize it; the old concrete building has been updated to a new modern look. Thanks for the invitation and the chance to meet some great kids.
Spring is a time of transition on the base. It’s when personnel get transferred and changes of command occur. The 90th Munitions Squadron held a change of command where Major Ryan Deming relinquished command and Major Brenna Aller took command. Major Aller has spent six years living in Cheyenne and serving at the base. It is great to have her back in town, and we wish Major Deming a great experience at the Army War College. Welcome home, Brenna and family.
The state has a committee that is charged with managing the master plan of the Capitol Complex. I have been asked to join as many of their plans for the area will affect the city. This week, we discussed security and ways to make the area more attractive. I am excited about moving the jersey barriers and seeing them replaced by bollards that match the historic ones currently on-site. It will make the curb appeal around the Capitol so much better. The city has made significant investments to secure our outdoor events and the improvements in the Capitol Complex will complement our efforts.
The City has more than two dozen citizen boards and commissions that give residents an opportunity to participate in city government. Three of those boards are currently accepting applications for new members – the Public Transit Advisory Board, the new Active Transportation Advisory Committee, and the Historic Preservation Board. I encourage anyone interested in those topics to apply. Applications are at www.cheyennecity.org/boards.
This weekend, my dad will turn 88. The best part is getting friends and family together and sharing a meal. Happy birthday, pop!