The Mayor’s Minute from Mayor Patrick Collins – February 17th
Published on February 17, 2023
CHEYENNE – Late last week, I was given the opportunity to really see America’s Air Force display their air power in real life. Colonel Barrington sent many local leaders from the Cheyenne area, northern Colorado, and the panhandle of Nebraska to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. There, we watched the launch of a Minute Man III missile. Last week’s observation was pretty exciting, although it was not my first trip. However, in the past, the launches were either delayed due to the weather or other world events. Nonetheless, this trip had perfect weather; no clouds in the sky, and the missile launched right on time with spectacular effect. I tell you, what an experience! It helped me understand much more about the mission of our local airmen and the strength of our military power.
John Kaiser is an old friend who stopped by earlier this week with a group of delegates from Uzbekistan, which is part of the Open World Leadership Program. The three visitors he escorted are members of their national Congress, wherein this trip served as a gateway for them to learn more about American government and how it works. I enjoyed our time together, and I love meeting folks from different countries. I have come to believe we have more in common than we do differences. I hope someday I get the opportunity to take a similar trip.
The Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra does an art competition each year that pairs music and artful conceptions together. Students within our school district are asked to create a piece of art from the emotions they feel while listening to the musical selection. I got a chance to view all the art pieces this week before the judging was finalized. I really don’t have any artistic ability, but I do have a real appreciation for artists and what they can accomplish. This year, the art did not disappoint! Our kids from the local high schools killed it, and I don’t envy the judges’ job at all. Saturday night the Symphony will play the music and display the art pieces so you can feel the music and visually see the art. Believe me, it is worth your time.
Wyoming has a new federal House of Representative member, Harriet Hageman. She stopped by with staffer Tyler Harrison to learn about our city’s needs and how she can help. It was nice getting to know our representative away from the campaign trail. I believe we have an advocate in Washington, and I hope we can help advise her on municipal issues in the future.
Tuesday, I spent most of my day at the Capitol testifying on two bills related to annexation. The first was HB142, and I testified in favor of this bill. This bill helps with transparency during annexation by requiring notice to be given by first-class mail to neighbors within 300 feet of an area being annexed. Currently, there aren’t any requirements to give the neighbors notice. I believe this is a big flaw in our state law, and I was pleased the Senate’s Corporations Committee agreed.
The next bill was HB73, and I testified against this bill. The City Council has spent a lot of time evaluating annexations recently, and our experience has helped me understand the reason for HB73 being introduced. However, I’m a bit frustrated by the misunderstanding of annexation laws and the confusion we see in our meetings. I also understand that many folks are happy living in the county and don’t want to be part of our city. I was pleased that the bill failed in the committee, but the testimony also made me realize we have a lot of work to do to educate folks on our annexation laws and local efforts.
We had another exciting land closing this week! We were able to purchase a small tract of land that will help the city create a greenway path along the railroad tracks from East College Drive to the new Kiwanis Park. This will be a great asset to our greenway system in the future. I appreciate the Keizer family making this property available so that we can reach our goal of a greenway system in every neighborhood of our city.
Q Cells is a company that is vertically integrated into the solar business, from the manufacturing of solar panels to the building and operating of solar farms. They are getting ready to start a 150-megawatt project close to the port of entry on US Highway 85. We asked Demi Gastouniotis from Q Cells to stop by, give us an update on the project, and educate us on the solar industry. I learned so much and appreciated her time. I’m hopeful that a year from now, they will be generating electricity and helping our local business community grow.
We had another opportunity to learn about power and business later in the day. LEADS hosted an educational seminar on hydrogen. I had no idea about the power and versatility of hydrogen. I came away with the idea that hydrogen may eclipse electric power in vehicles and industry in the future. It made me think of the battle between VHS and Betamax---it will be fun to watch and see which technology makes history.
Governor Gordon hosted his annual prayer breakfast at 6:30 Wednesday morning. While it was way too early for me, I found it to be very inspirational…I want to thank Rita Meyer for the invitation, as I had never attended before, and Anne Beiler, the founder of Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, who was the guest speaker. Beiler’s story about being a simple Amish farm girl to becoming the head of an international franchise was amazing and hard to believe. The music, speakers, and 600 guests made this event memorable.
Wednesday evening, I had the opportunity to meet the Northern Arapaho Business Council at their legislative reception. I wanted to meet them as I think we will be spending a lot of time together in the next few years. It is the Northern Arapaho who are working with the Legislature to build a Class III casino in Laramie County. I shared my concerns and committed to future dialogue.
Later in the week, I took another trip to the Capitol to testify in favor of SF123. This bill will help military families by giving them the ability to transfer schools if their kids face harassment, like some of our African American military children did last year. It was painful to admit we had these problems in Cheyenne, but the committee was empathetic and passed the bill. Thank you, Senator Boner, for bringing this bill to light.
Stride Learning Center is 50 years old. My youngest son graduated from Stride, and I have a soft spot for this place. I stopped by Thursday to read a proclamation and celebrate with the kids. They were all dressed as superheroes. I had a blast meeting them and I really appreciate the staff who take such great care of the kids.
I have two things to report regarding our fire department. First, I’d like to share that we are recipients of the SAFER grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) provides government entities funding to help fire departments with recruitment and retention. With the amount we were awarded, Cheyenne Fire Rescue will be able to hire nine new firefighters with salary and benefits covered for the next three years. This grant came at the perfect time, as the city continues to build three new fire stations. The added manpower is a blessing! Great job Chief Kopper, Renee Smith, our grants manager, and the whole team.
Yesterday we had our first and last negotiating session with the fire union. We have worked very hard for the past few months, gaining an understanding on both sides. The good news is it took an hour to reach a two-year contract. I so appreciate the willingness of the union members to meet each week and our fire chief for his relentless efforts to help the union and our management team find middle ground. It is a good contract, and we are looking forward to the extra year this contract gives us. We have a great public safety team in Cheyenne, including our police department.
If you have a question or comment for me, please send an email to media@cheyennecity.org. I’ll continue to answer your questions or concerns in the following Mayor’s Minute column.
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