The Mayor’s Minute from Mayor Patrick Collins – May 7th
Published on May 07, 2021
CHEYENNE – I had a wonderful May Day last Saturday. The Downtown Development Authority (DDA) held a bicycle parade from the Depot through our beautiful downtown. It was one of those beautiful spring days, sunny with calm winds. It was awesome to see the kids on training wheels with their families enjoying time together. Thanks to the DDA and our Police Department for a great experience. It was fun to get the bike out and spin a few miles.
Monday afternoon Interim Fire Chief John Kopper and I met with representatives of the Fire Union. I really enjoy meeting with these city employees. They have a very important job to do, and I am excited that we soon will have an opportunity to make their working conditions so much better. We will be voting on November 2nd on new fire stations and upgrading fire engines on the 6th Penny Ballot. We might disagree on some things but have promised to find ways to work together to make Cheyenne safer and better.
Tuesday morning started with coffee with Robin Roling, Chief Operating Officer of Cheyenne Regional Medical Center (CRMC). She shared plans for a $115 million renovation starting with the Mother Baby unit. It is critical to our community that we have a vibrant healthcare system. We cannot thrive without it. The hospital leadership and board have a vision and the courage to make it happen. Looking forward to the first of many ribbon cuttings.
Tuesday afternoon we met with Lt. General Tony Cotton. He is the most senior member of the missile community in the Air Force and the Deputy Commander of the Global Strike Command. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the upcoming test of a Minuteman III missile and to talk about the successor missile system, the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD). F.E. Warren Air Force Base has been selected as the first to get the new upgraded missile system. The Minuteman was designed to last 10 years, and 50 years later it is time to make the replacement happen. Lots of activity will be coming our way in the upcoming years.
Wednesday morning found me at the Board of Public Utilities (BOPU) for a tour of the water treatment and wastewater treatment plants. It took four hours to cover the system from start to finish. I am so impressed by the staff that makes running these complicated systems look so easy. We have the water resources to grow and the ability to add capacity to our system for our future. The visionary leaders who developed our water system are some of our community heroes. Cheyenne is blessed to have some of the best water in the Nation. The water we put into Crow Creek is so clean the fish and other wildlife thrive downstream. Thanks to Clint Bassett who runs the water treatment plant and Matt Buelow from the wastewater treatment plant and their boss Brad Brooks for an amazing morning.
Wednesday evening my wife and I were invited to a dinner to welcome a new business to Cheyenne. HIPAA Vault is a family-owned business that has chosen to make Cheyenne and Wyoming their new home. They are a company that helps companies with healthcare information and storing it safely in the cloud. Please join me in welcoming HIPAA Vault and owners Gil Vidals and his wife Terri to our beautiful city.
Thursday morning was a blast. I met with the third-grade class from Jessup Elementary to discuss what it means to be the Mayor. Ms. Jackson’s class asked very good questions and I enjoyed the experience. I had forgotten how much energy third graders have. Thanks for the invitation.
On Thursday afternoon I had the pleasure of attending another ribbon cutting. This time we welcomed the Durbar Nepalese & Indian Bistro on East Lincolnway to our community. The red-carpet Committee of the Chamber was there to welcome this new restaurant to the city. Food was great and it is nice to meet entrepreneurs taking risks and being successful here in Cheyenne.
Friday morning started with coffee with Luke Sarne from Advanced Air. We all know how companies are struggling to find help. Luke has decided to find and grow his help. He has 22 apprentices that are learning a trade and making a career for themselves. His 60 employees manufacture and install their products all over the region. Another local success story I hope to see duplicated all around the city. Shoutout to Laramie County Community College (LCCC) and their willingness to host an apprentice program for HVAC, electrical, and plumbing trades.
The past month, and the next 30 days, are all about the budget. We have presented a balanced budget to the City Council and are now in public hearings to discuss where we are at. Our General Fund Budget is $53,795,619 in revenues and expenses. This is 6.2 percent higher than last year’s doomsday budget proposal due to COVID-19, and just a bit lower than our budget from three years ago. Sales taxes are our biggest revenue category at 34.75 percent, showing how important it is to shop local. Our largest expense is our employees at 73.7 percent. State law requires the budget to be adopted by June 14th. We will continue to work hard to get the budget process completed.
Our question this week comes from Barbara Stafford. She asks about our gymnastics program purchasing the building in the Pointe Subdivision. There is a specific-built building there that is empty as the owner’s gymnastics business failed during the pandemic.
Barbara, that is a good question. Our staff has researched doing exactly that. We have saved just over a million dollars to replace our current facility. Laramie County School District 1 (LCSD1) has bought our building to make room for a new elementary school and we have about a year to find a new home. We are going to be applying for a Department of Defense (DOD) grant to leverage our money and get a new facility built or purchased. Wish us luck in the grant process.
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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