The Mayor’s Minute from Mayor Patrick Collins – June 18th
Published on June 18, 2021
CHEYENNE – I have some exciting news for our family. Our youngest son, Jac, is moving back to Cheyenne to take a job with our State Treasurer’s office. We are excited to have him and our grand dog home. Another good part of the move is he is an avid golfer and I have not taken the time to play recently. He has had me out three times in the past two weeks for nine holes. Feels good to play and especially with my son.
It is change of command time again on F.E. Warren Air Force Base. I enjoy attending these changes of command. It is emotional as folks leave family and friends to move to the next duty station. Lt. Colonel Bryce Fiacco is leaving the Mighty 90. He is the Commander of the Contracting Squadron and is being replaced by Major Charles Ogonowski. They have such important jobs, and you forget how young they really are until you see their eight small children running around the Trails End center. I am proud of the relationships we have built between the military and our business community. I wish Lt. Colonel Fiacco the best in his new job at the Pentagon, and welcome Major Ogonowski to Cheyenne.
Monday night we finished the budget at our City Council meeting. Staff did such a good job in the budget process that it went through with very little controversy. I like it when things go smoothly. I am amazed on how busy the Council is these days. I referred 35 items just to the Finance Committee for next week. The difference in the number of items from my City Council days is amazing. I had coffee with members of the Animal Shelter board on Friday to begin discussing how we move forward on their contract. As you know, they need more money for the services they provide. I was able to add $110,000 to their budget, but it may not be enough. We know they provide an important service and I hope we can work it out.
Tuesday morning, I joined the mid-year board retreat for the Wyoming Family Home Ownership Program. The topic of the day was affordable housing and how a Land Banking Program could help lead the way. I so appreciate Brenda Birkle for the invitation and her leadership on this issue.
Tuesday afternoon I took a trip to Gering, Nebraska. Cheyenne has been asked to become part of the Expedition Baseball League. It is a college aged, wood bat league. Gering has been in the league for four seasons now. I wanted to see the stadium and get an idea of what the expectations are. Mayor Tony Kaufman is a friend, and he gave me a great tour. Such a nice stadium. I am not sure if we can find a way to build the required stadium, but it is exciting to investigate the possibility. Dang it was hot there!
Wednesday morning at 7:00 a.m. we met at LCCC for the monthly LEADS board meeting. Commissioner Lovett and I made presentations on the upcoming 6th penny sales tax election. We reviewed the projects and how they might influence the economic development efforts here in Laramie County. LEADS reported they have another three companies that have contacted them for possible moves to Cheyenne. They have 25 good prospects right now and 22 local companies looking at expansion opportunities. The future looks so bright.
Wednesday lunch was spent with Tim Barth and Nathan Banton from Cheyenne Regional Airport and Colonel Barry Deibert, Commander from the 153rd Airlift Wing. The main reason for the meeting was to make sure we are all on the same page when it comes to supporting our Air Force National Guard Wing. It was great to meet Colonel Deibert and to understand how we can support his mission. They are such an important employer in Cheyenne and an important asset to Wyoming. I am sad that Tim is retiring in September, but excited that he has a chance to become a college basketball referee.
I spent Wednesday afternoon filming a congratulatory message to Blue Federal Credit Union on their 70th anniversary and filming a welcome for new employees that can be shown during our orientations. Michael Skinner in my office does such a good job of filming and editing our videos. I hope you will take a minute to see the one he released this week of my day as a sanitation driver. It was a blast, and he helps tell the story.
Thursday, we had our employee picnic in the courtyard behind the city building. I spent the afternoon cooking hotdogs and serving them. We have an outstanding group of employees, and it was fun to see them all during the day come to the picnic. I had forgotten how much the young guys can eat. Three and four hamburgers disappeared without any discomfort. I would be miserable for a minimum of 24 hours. I appreciate all the folks who helped make the day happen.
I met with some folks from our BOPU Industrial Pretreatment Program. They are the team that makes sure our industrial and commercial businesses treat their waste so to not pollute our system. They also work with our sector businesses like restaurants and daycares to make sure they capture the grease, so it will not clog our sewer system. It was very educational, and I appreciate their professionalism.
I met with some of our staff about motorized scooters that are now appearing in our fine city. I know how popular scooters are and I am excited to see them added to our city. I know what I do not know, and best practices for managing this industry is one of them. We will be working with other cities that have worked through the issue and will make suggestions for a new ordinance soon. A warm summer night could be more fun on two wheels.
Friday morning was special as General Weinstein and his wife Patricia were in town, and we had coffee and took the time to catch up. He was the Commander of the 20th Air Force and did a great job for our missile mission across the country. He looks great in his retirement beard, and I think he is really liking being a professor at Boston University. One of the best parts of the Weinstein’s time in Cheyenne is they left their son Sam as a resident. Thanks!
Right after our coffee, I went to the base for a ceremony to rename the Family Readiness Center to the Johnigan Center for Airmen and Families. I do not know of anyone that has done more to support the mission and Airmen of our 90th Missile Wing. This is such a deserving recognition for Mrs. Johnigan, and it was a nice ceremony to honor her 50 years of service.
Friday lunch was spent in a Council Work Session discussing short-term rental properties. The purpose was to receive information related to these short-term rentals that have become so popular. The consultants discussed the potential concerns neighborhoods have with short-term rental houses, and potential services they provide to help mitigate them. My family has used them many times when we travel, and really enjoyed the experience of staying together. We will be having ongoing discussions to determine if this is a problem for Cheyenne and if there are any regulations we need to talk about imposing in the future.
We have a new National Holiday, and I was proud to sign a proclamation in honor of Juneteenth. The process of learning about Juneteenth was interesting. I really did not know the history and misery that has become known today as Juneteenth. Now that it is a National Holiday, I look forward to more education about the reason for the holiday.
I am looking forward to Saturday afternoon. I am happy to have the opportunity to meet with one of the families impacted by the Thomas Heights flooding issues. I understand how emotional this has been for those impacted and really appreciate the opportunity to discuss how we can work together to solve this complex issue. I hope our coffee leads to solutions and an end to the emotional rollercoaster these residents have been on.
I am heading out on vacation next week. It has been a great six months in the mayor’s office, and I am excited by the things we have accomplished in that time. My brother-in-law and I have a standing date to go bass fishing each year. I will be sure to regale you with fish stories when we get home. Because I will be gone, there will be no mayor’s minute next week. I promise to get back at it the following Friday.
In the meantime, if you have a question for me, send it to media@cheyennecity.org. I’ll continue to answer them in my following Mayor’s Minute column.
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