The Mayor’s Minute from Mayor Patrick Collins – September 1st

Published on September 01, 2023

CHEYENNE – I shared with you the recent loss in our office with the passing of our Public Information Officer (PIO). The work of the mayor’s office and the need for a PIO does not stop. In spite of our heavy hearts, we have advertised for a new PIO and I have been reading resumes and did the first interview for a perspective replacement this week. It is hard but necessary.

We held a work session to update the city council and the public on the plan to partner with our State Parks on the Arboretum. The plan is for the State to develop the Arboretum as a State Historic Site. The process to date has been expedited, and we are starting the public information process before the Travel, Recreation, and Wildlife Committee meets in October. I am personally very excited by this opportunity. I am not sure the city will ever have the resources to maintain this historic site let alone develop the site so the public can enjoy it and the educational aspects of its history. The city owns Granite Reservoir and we have a similar partnership with the state developing Curt Gowdy State Park. Fingers crossed we can do the same with the Arboretum.

Wyoming Independent Citizens Coalition (WICC) is a small but mighty group taking on the challenge of improving our community. They are focused on fighting hate and supporting the members of our community struggling to live the life we all take for granted. WICC has signed on to the “Not in our Town” campaign. It started in Montana as the Billings community joined to fight hate in their town. Their efforts have morphed into a national movement. I joined their meeting and signed a proclamation supporting the effort. I love Cheyenne, but we are not perfect. We have work to do in the area of race and discrimination. Please watch for the “Not in our Town” events in the upcoming months.

Councilman Dr. Mark Rinne and I met for breakfast on Saturday morning. I had a list of 10 things I wanted to talk about, and it’s nice to share a meal instead of talking on the phone. I have been trying to update the city council on the Arboretum, the High Plains Business Park, a new salary strategy, CFD parking, 811 call before you dig, the National Cemetery, AFG grant for our fire department, and the Belvoir Ranch trail. These conversations take a while and I have been slowly getting to all the members of the city council. Epic Egg killed it.

Post Six had an epic run this season, culminating in their first-ever appearance in the American Legion World Series. I kept up with the Sixers by listening to the games on KFBC. They lost the first game and were no-hit in the process. We were all so proud of the way they bounced back and made it to the semifinals. Manager Ty Lain, Phil Maggart, and Ward Anderson stopped by the office to present a World Series baseball signed by all the players and coaches, and share stories about the experience. They have perma-grin on their faces, they could not stop smiling. Post Six has had so many great teams that came oh so close to making it to the World Series. The guys were so proud they finally made it and had such a strong showing. I shared our community’s pride in their performance this year and for decades now.

The Cheyenne area has a huge population of folks who have served their country in our armed forces. The Veteran’s Administration built a rural National Cemetery on land in the Arboretum to give them a local burial site. The cemetery is beautiful, but it is missing a few essential amenities like bathrooms, parking, and ADA compliant walkways. I have had many meetings with veterans who have shared their desires to see this site upgraded before they are buried there. I met again with the Director of the Fort Logan National Cemetery, Roderick Thomas, who is in charge of our Cheyenne National Cemetery. Good news is they are planning to install bathrooms in 2024. They are also working on an expansion plan. The current cemetery is going to be completely full in 2027 at the current rate. The dirt road that serves the cemetery is owned by the city and we are looking into the cost of paving the road and adding some parking to accommodate family and friends attending services. Wheelchairs and walkers don’t work well on dirt roads. It is great to have a cemetery for our veterans, and I appreciate the beginning of a partnership with the VA to make it a place we can all be proud of.

Had a short phone call this week with Renny MacKay from Governor Gordon’s office. It is great that we have interest at all levels of government in solving our housing issues. Receiving Renny’s call reiterated the partnerships we will need to establish if we are going to make a difference. What I have learned is it will take everyone adding their resources to solve this puzzle of affordable and attainable housing for our residents.

The historic Pump House was established in the late 1800’s to capture water from Crow Creek and store it for municipal uses. It has not been used for that purpose for many years. Today it is a fading shell of what it was and could be again. Folks from Historic Cheyenne Inc. came by for a discussion about what we can do to stabilize the building and eventually see it restored to its historic beauty. It was built in the same architectural style as the UP Depot we all love. If you find yourself on Ames Avenue, just south of Lincolnway, look east at this historic building. If we don’t figure out a plan very soon, we might lose another piece of Cheyenne’s history.

The Mayor’s Minute is a bit short this week. Judy and I are taking a few days off for an anniversary trip. It is 41 for the Collins’ and we are looking forward to some time away together.

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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