The Mayor’s Minute from Mayor Patrick Collins – Nov. 29, 2024
Published on November 29, 2024
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. I think it has to do with my love of food and hanging out with family without the pressure of presents that come with Christmas. I baked a pumpkin pie and made a broccoli salad in preparation for our Thanksgiving feast. I really like spending time in the kitchen and our recent remodel included an extra oven that I have enjoyed using. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday.
You all know how much I don’t like early morning events. This week I was invited to the ribbon cutting for the new Sprouts Farmers Market. I was excited to attend until they said I should be there by 6:30 in the morning. It was a great event, and I wanted to thank them for the investment they made in our community. People were lined up by the hundreds and the sunrise was spectacular. This new store has provided 99 new jobs and I believe competition helps improve customer service and pricing.
We have a new bitcoin mining business that should start operating before the end of the year. CleanSpark has taken over the Mine One site recently closed by the federal government. I joined our Chief Building Official, Tono, for a tour of the site. I want to thank Black Hills Energy for their leadership in making the CleanSpark project happen. Their willingness to find the necessary electricity and manage this project is what made it work. I am looking forward to touring the finished project after the first of the year.
I want to thank Renae Jording for her 32 years of service to our city. She is retiring from running our transit department and I wish her well in the next phase of her life.
I learned the history of the Bells of Balangiga this week at the unveiling of the exhibit at the Warren ICBM and Heritage Museum. During the Philippine Insurrection in 1901, Company C of the 9th U.S. Infantry Regiment was ambushed during breakfast by Philippine forces. The attack was signaled by the ringing of the bells. 48 men were killed, 22 wounded, and 4 were missing in action. Only 4 escaped unhurt. In a reprisal, Filipino civilians were killed during the retaking of the town and island. The church bells were taken as war trophies. Two were brought to Fort D. A. Russell, now F.E. Warren AFB, in Cheyenne. They have been displayed on the base since that time until Secretary of Defense Mattis came to Cheyenne in 2018 and announced the repatriation of the bells to improve relations between our countries. The base historian helped put together an exhibit honoring the history of the bells and telling their story. I appreciate being invited and for the history lesson.
Our meeting of the Governing Body this week was one of the longest we have had in the past four years. A packed house came to discuss ordinances to ban oversized vehicles on city streets and to establish a storm water maintenance division. A resolution to establish a paid parking district downtown was also discussed. I very much enjoy having people come to our meetings and testify. I have learned over the years a good supper is necessary to keep me going on these long meeting nights. I would like to invite everyone to attend a city council meeting. Meetings are on the second and fourth Monday of the month, 6 p.m. at 2101 O’Neil Ave.
The Zonta Club of Cheyenne is observing the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence from Nov. 25 to Dec. 10. I signed a proclamation observing those days on Nov. 25, which is the International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women. I wish events like these were not necessary, but our world is still a violent place for too many. The Zonta Club has been working to educate the public on the signs of gender violence with the goal of eventually seeing it ended in the world. I enjoyed hearing from the ladies about the work they have been doing in Cheyenne and around the state.
Our new council member orientation was with the police department this week. Mark Moody and Kathy Emmons got a full briefing from Chief Francisco and his administrative team. Our police department is currently made up of 111 sworn officers and 24 civilian staff members. The department runs on an $18 million budget. The operations division is led by Captain Kessler and is made up of 6 squads that work the streets, our school resource officers, traffic division, and the crime prevention team. The services division is led by Captain Janes who leads the detective’s bureau, victim services, professional standards, records, property & evidence, and parking services. It was good to hear that our officers receive 140 hours of training every year whereas the state requires 40 every two years. We learned that crime is down across the city and about the goals for the upcoming year. Chief Francisco shared the challenges he sees in law enforcement, recruiting being one of the biggest, and the opportunities with our new crime prevention team being one of the highlights. I appreciate the department putting together an impressive program and for the newly elected council members for taking the time to attend.
Habitat for Humanity held a groundbreaking for their new Pronghorn Crossing housing development. Pronghorn Crossing is located on Storey Boulevard across from North Cheyenne Community Park. Their plan is to build 12 affordable housing units on the site with the homeowners required to put in 400 hours of sweat equity. The site was donated to Habitat by Leaning Tree Homes, and the city applied for an ARPA grant from the state to build out the infrastructure. I am so impressed with the long list of folks who have donated their services to help make these homes happen. It will be Habitat’s largest build in their history locally. Getting families into a home of their own is transformational to the trajectory of their lives. I am a huge fan of Habitat and their work.
My last meeting before Thanksgiving was with Tracy Jerman from Northrop Grumman. She is the community engagement and state & local government relations person for the company that is bringing the new missile upgrade to our local base. She shared that Northrop Grumman is committed to making sure small businesses have an important part of this project. They have promised over a billion dollars will be awarded to small businesses and it is an amazing opportunity for our local businesses. Contracting with the federal government takes a few hoops and hurdles, but the reward for the effort could be very profitable. Tracy shared it is her job to help get our businesses through the process. Our local Chamber of Commerce has also been working to prepare our businesses for the Sentinel project. I would encourage our small businesses to take advantage of this opportunity. We can help you connect with Northrop. It would be great to see some of the money stay in our community and help build our businesses and economy.
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. It reminds me of all that I have to be thankful for. I am very thankful for the opportunity to serve as mayor of this great city.