The Mayor's Minute from Mayor Patrick Collins – June 2nd
Published on June 02, 2023
CHEYENNE − The Air Force is Cheyenne’s number one employer, with thousands of employees and millions of dollars in local economic impact annually. We always support our military and their family members, so when I learned they needed help at the state legislature, it was an easy decision that I helped. In 1890 when our state was founded, the area that was then known as Fort D. A. Russell was intentionally left out of the jurisdiction of the state. While that was good for the late 1800s, today, it prevents our local governing bodies from supporting the folks living on the base. The Joint Transportation, Highways, and Military Affairs Committee met to look at the issue of granting concurrent jurisdiction for F. E. Warren AFB. The committee understood the issues and agreed to create legislation to be considered at their next meeting. I enjoyed the drive to Douglas. Wyoming has never looked so green. Thank you, legislators!
My recent visit to the base included an opportunity to drive the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV). It is an armored vehicle the Air Force is transitioning to for use in the missile field. I can tell you that thing is a powerful beast and is very, very hard to drive. The technology of the simulator using virtual reality is amazing. It is a great tool to train the Security Forces before heading out on the road. However, my future as a JLTV driver is definitely doubtful.
On that same visit, I learned about the base’s Family Child Care (FCC) Program. Joyce Cisneros explained that the Air Force has the same challenge finding their members proper childcare as the rest of our community. The FCC was designed to create daycares based in family homes for up to 6 kids. They pay $250 to $300 per week per child, provide all the necessary training, and provide necessary equipment free of charge to start and run an in-home childcare center. I visited one of the FCCs and fell in love with the kids. I believe this is a great way to start a small business.
Last weekend was filled with graduation parties. Judy and I stopped by three members of the Mayor’s Youth Council’s celebrations. Julianne Beech, Katie Cobb, and Will Barrington have all graduated and are headed to college. I know they will all do great and be successful. Congratulations to all our area graduates. We wish you well in whatever your next steps are!
I learned an interesting bit of trivia this week. There are 315 accredited fire departments worldwide, but there are over 30,000 fire departments in the USA alone. I’m proud that Cheyenne Fire and Rescue has decided to seek accreditation. This week, the accreditation agency held an open house to seek community input regarding the external overview of the fire department. I know it will be a challenging process, but our team, led by Battalion Chief Sanders and our Fire Chief Kopper, is up to the task. The excitement of the staff was palpable!
The official start of Cheyenne Frontier Days (CFD) season began for me this week! The annual dinner for city and county employees who support CFD was held at the events center. I enjoyed meeting with the CFD General Committee to thank them for their time and for sponsoring the World’s Largest Outdoor Rodeo and western celebration in its 127th year. I am getting the heels of my boots re-soled and can’t wait for this year’s show.
I have been meeting with a company called Celadon for over a year now. They have been working with non-profits in the country to build affordable housing and use it to leverage building large recreational buildings. I have been trying to learn the secret sauce needed to build affordable housing in our community. This project will be a challenge as we try to find the funding to support this project. But, if there is an opportunity to build 60 to 80 affordable housing units and a recreation center for our community, we at least need to try.
We have talked about the Arboretum in this column several times now. I love the story of sending folks around the globe to harvest trees planted just west of town to learn which ones will survive our harsh and dry climate. Today, our urban forest has benefited from that effort almost 100 years ago. I toured the area with Jessica Friis from our Botanic Gardens and five other team members who work with trees and our parks. A stroll of the 1930s greenhouse, lath house, and walking among the historic trees helped me see the vision of what this area could be. Jessica’s passion for this project is contagious, and I am committed to finding a way to make it happen.
In other news, the Kiwanis Club of Cheyenne made a commitment to help develop the park area south of Pershing Boulevard in the eastern part of our city. That commitment included $250,000 in cash and a promise to help maintain the site for as long as there is a Kiwanis Club. They have already planted trees in the park, and Thursday, some of their group members presented the city with a down payment of $80,000…The first of many checks for the area we have renamed Kiwanis Park.
I met with our chief building official and compliance director to discuss how to handle a business that does not follow our rules for the construction of commercial projects. I hate these situations as I want to be business-friendly. Still, we are responsible for ensuring these commercial buildings are safe for those who will eventually live or work there. Unfortunately, we have seen catastrophic failures of facilities in Florida and, more recently, in Davenport, Iowa. I find these conversations very tough, but the conversations are necessary when I think of the consequences if we don’t do our jobs.
It is our goal as a city to do things the right way. However, sometimes we don’t live up to that lofty goal. I have told the team it’s not that we did something wrong, but how we handle the situation when we do. For example, we met with a developer where we came up short, and while it was not a fun conversation, it is essential to acknowledge when we have failed and ask what can we do to rectify the matter. I am happy to report that we developed a framework to make everyone happy by the end of our conversation.
Fridays on the Plaza starts this week, and I hope you will find time to attend at least one of the concerts. Our staff has worked very hard to bring you a great lineup and experience.
If you have a question or comment for me, please email media@cheyennecity.org. I’ll continue to answer your questions or concerns in the following Mayor’s Minute column.
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