The Mayor’s Minute from Mayor Patrick Collins – April 25, 2025

Published on April 25, 2025

Judy and I spent the Easter holiday weekend in Bismarck, North Dakota, visiting our kids and grandkids. Two months ago, it was -34 degrees when we visited. This time, the weather was much nicer, and we were able to see the city. Trips to the zoo, museum and breakfast by the river were made so much better with grandkids. We love the Cheyenne flight – it makes the trip so much easier than driving Interstate 25.

A few years ago, I appointed a task force to study our affordable housing shortage here in Cheyenne. Dan Dorsch has served on the task force since the beginning, and he stopped by to give an update. I am proud of the task force and equally proud of the Governing Body for implementing their recommendations. Lack of housing is a barrier to increasing our workforce across the state and in Cheyenne and it is hurting our businesses. During our Public Services Committee meeting this week, a developer introduced a plat to build smaller homes on smaller lots. The plan is reminiscent of what we see in the Avenues. It is exciting to see builders use the tools recommended by the Affordable Housing Task Force and approved by the city council.

The United States Army Field Band Jazz Ambassadors played a free concert at the Civic Center on Tuesday evening. First, the music was amazing. I especially enjoyed the patriotic songs and when they played the official songs from each branch of the military, they invited the veterans of each branch to stand during their song. The concert was also an opportunity to announce Freedom Point, a place in Lions Park where we will honor our veterans and first responders. It will include an 80% replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall, a tribute to the Global War on Terror, a Desert Storm Memorial, a POW/MIA remembrance area, a display of each branch of the military, and an acknowledgement of the War at Home where we lose 22 veterans a day to suicide. It will also be a home for a first responder memorial. Our Community Recreation and Events team has done a great job developing the concept. Community groups are working to raise the funds for this project and bricks can be purchased that will become part of the memorial.

One good thing that has come from the conversation on downtown parking is that businesses are talking to each other and talking with us at the City. I had lunch with Sam Galeotos to discuss his perception of our downtown and its potential. Sam and many others have made huge investments in our downtown area and are contributing to the success of downtown. I enjoyed the conversation and the tacos.

The Frontier Days Foundation hosted a meeting to share some of the upcoming projects they are working on. I am so excited by their plans for a new and expanded Indian Village. It will be a year-round facility that will become a cultural focal point. It celebrates the 128-year partnership we have with Native American tribes and is three times larger than our current village. CFD talked about the Pickup Man Initiative and how they are working to make mental health and suicide awareness a focus. Chute 9 is also getting a face lift with an expansion in 2026 that will make for a better experience for sponsors. It was exciting to hear about all the plans to invest in CFD.

Arbor Day was founded in Nebraska in 1872. Wyoming followed in 1888 with school children participating in the celebration. Arbor Day was celebrated in Cheyenne on April 24 this year with children from Sunrise Elementary School taking part. They planted four trees in Sun Valley Park and learned all about trees from our Urban Forestry division. It is not easy to grow trees in the High Plains, so it takes dedicated professionals to manage our urban forest. Rooted in Cheyenne is a nonprofit organization that plants trees known to grow well in Cheyenne. They plant them in the front yards of residents’ homes at a discounted price and only ask that you water it. Growing our urban forest, especially in our residential neighborhoods, makes such a difference in the livability of our community. I have planted some of these trees and I would encourage you to check it out if you have room in front of your house.

I have the old Airport Terminal on my list of projects that need to get done. The terminal is owned by the airport and has an impact on our community. I was able to take a restauranteur through the building to see if they would have an interest opening a restaurant in the historic building. I remember the days of the Cloud 9 restaurant and would like to see the building back in service. Our old terminal has such an iconic roof line, and I am worried if we don’t get it filled and active it will eventually deteriorate and fade away. That would be a shame. Fingers crossed someone will see our vision and make the investment.

I wrote earlier about our need for housing and making housing in Cheyenne more affordable. Our Planning Department and I met with Eric Protzer from Harvard and Renny MacKay from the Wyoming Business Alliance to talk about the housing situation in our state and city. I have enjoyed these conversations. I don’t always agree with their suggestions like eliminating zoning entirely, but they always inspire me and make me think about housing in a different way. Our Planning Department has worked hard to rework our UDC regulations to remove unnecessary barriers to building housing in Cheyenne. The changes we have made over the past few years have resulted in new developments and it is gratifying to see.

I have talked about a potential project that would see a parking lot built on the closed golf course on F.E. Warren Air Force Base for CFD parking, a bridge over the interstate that would allow visitors to walk directly to the park, and most importantly for me, a potential Greenway connection between the base and the 47 miles of Greenway we have already constructed. For the past year, the project has been in an environmental analysis to look for potential environmental impacts that may come from this potential project. A public meeting was held at WYDOT to explain the project and give an opportunity for the public to share their thoughts. I was pleased to see so many people show up and by the number of great questions that were asked. I know some of the folks asked questions that we don’t have answers for yet. We need to make sure the project is environmentally sound before exploring the next phases of the development. We will have additional public meetings for the next steps and answer the questions at each stage.