The Mayor’s Minute from Mayor Patrick Collins – May 2, 2025

Published on May 02, 2025

I have been Mayor for over four years now. One of the best parts of this job is meeting inspiring people and organizations. This week, I was invited to read a proclamation on Parkinson’s disease awareness. I showed up at the Arena Training Institute where I found Janell Melish using boxing to help Parkinson’s patients train their way to a more active life. One man I met was wheelchair bound after having a serious bout of Covid during the pandemic. He now can get out of his chair and credits Janell and boxing for the improved mobility. I did not know much about Parkinson’s disease but learned in this process that an American is diagnosed every nine minutes, it is the 14th leading cause of death in the U.S., and it an has economic impact in excess of $52 billion annually. I really enjoyed meeting the boxers and their loved ones. The homemade treats rewarding the hard work were the cherry on the experience.

In 1892, the City built the Pumphouse to improve our water distribution system. Today, the building is abandoned and showing its age. We had a City Council work session to hear from TDSi about our planned restoration of the building. While the building looks its 133-year-old age, the report shows it is in very good structural condition. Saving historic buildings for future generations keeps stories alive and I am excited to tell this one. A price tag of $3.5 million is steep, but with good partnerships we can make it happen.

The city has a planner named Brandon Gilchrist who spent his youth as a cheerleader. He became the coach of the first competitive Junior High School cheer team in the state. They went to San Antonio recently and won the Redline National Cheerleading Championship. I went to Johnson Junior High School for an ice cream party and celebration. I loved the cheerleaders sharing the story that their pyramid was too advanced and how they had to change it right before their turn. The backstage practice was a disaster as they kept falling, but when the lights came up, they were perfect. The pride of the cheerleaders and their families was fun to witness. Congratulations Brandon and Johnson Junior High, Cheyenne is so proud of you!

Progress on our Belvoir Ranch trail system is going well. We are still on track to open the trails this summer. I met with a great team from Wyoming State Parks to discuss ways we might be able to partner and learn best practices. State Parks manages systems like ours all over the state and I appreciate their willingness to help make opening our trails system a bit smoother. I am excited to give our residents access to 17 miles of beautiful trails.

Tate Schrock uses science in his business every day. He is proposing creating a STEM Day to share the excitement of science and technology with kids in Cheyenne. I appreciate how much work goes into coordinating a day like this and hope we can help him make it happen. Stand by for more information coming soon.

One thing I really like about Corey Loghry is she doesn’t just criticize, she steps up to help when she sees a need. This week, she hosted our Chief of Police and CRE director at an open house to discuss the Spiker Parking Facility. We need people, especially Downtown employees, to use the garage so customers have places to park. The purpose of the meeting was to find ways to improve the safety and use of the garage. A number of downtown merchants were there to share thoughts and concerns. Chief Francisco shared the crime statistics on the garage, and Jason Sanchez shared the numerous projects they have completed and more that are coming to make the garage more inviting. The key is we are communicating. Thank you, Corey, for your leadership and for setting up this opportunity. 

For the past three years Councilman Segrave has led our City Council goal of looking for opportunities to develop solar power on the Belvoir Ranch and Happy Jack Landfill. With recent reductions in our revenues, these discussions have become more urgent. We met with NextEra Energy, our current wind turbine tenant, to gauge their interest in adding to their ranch developments. Projects like this take years, but we are hopeful that an opportunity to develop more revenue from the Belvoir Ranch can be developed.

I remember our first Fridays on the Plaza. A band on the small concrete stage, surrounded by a white picket fence with a couple hundred folks enjoying live music and community. It is hard to believe, but this summer will be the 20th season of our free outdoor music festival. The series has grown to a professional stage and sound system, national performers, and thousands of folks filling Depot Plaza every Friday evening during the summer. We hosted a sponsor thank you and lineup reveal on Wednesday evening. You would not believe how our CRE team transformed the stage of the Civic Center into an amazing place to eat and announce this year’s acts. I was honored to give Sam Runyon of Charles Schwab the Stage Partner award, Ken Garff Toyota the Festival Partner award, and the Downtown Development Authority an award for their 20 years of support. Fridays on the Plaza has become a tradition where we get to hear amazing live music and share the experience with friends and family. Thank you to all who have helped to grow this event to what it is today. See you on the Plaza this summer!

Sophia Maes is the new DDA Administrator. We had coffee this week and it gave me an opportunity to catch up on what is happening downtown. As I travel, I always find myself comparing our downtown to others, and I think our bones and buildings are some of the best in the region. So many people have invested in Downtown and the DDA’s mission is to support their efforts and make it more vibrant. I enjoyed Sophia’s vision and passion. I would ask you to support our merchants and restaurants by spending some time in Downtown.

We have talked about housing for quite a while now. The team from Wasatch came by to give a progress update on their goal to build 1,000 housing units in Cheyenne by 2030. With the second phase of their Ridgeview Apartments starting and more projects in the planning stage, they are well on the way to meeting that goal. I feel so blessed we have Wasatch and so many others seeing the opportunities in Cheyenne and making investments to help our housing shortage.

This is my favorite time of the year. The grass is finally turning green, and trees are starting to bud. I am hoping we get some moisture soon. I learned in March of 2021 that you need to be careful about what you ask for as I prayed for snow, and we got a record amount. So I am praying for rain, but in a manageable amount (please and thank you).