Sentinel program rolls on

The Boys of Summer is a perfect metaphor for the Sentinel program and its progress in Cheyenne. Additionally, the song is a great one for a summer day. When the Sentinel program (replacement program for our Intercontinental ballistic missiles) was announced everyone was excited, and why shouldn’t they have been? It marked the beginning of the largest economic development project in US history, and it would kick off in Wyoming. As time rolled along it got to be old news and, like the boys of summer, the excitement wore off as the thrill of summer gave way to the reality of fall. 

Sentinel, we still see you “brown skin shining in the sun, you got your hair pulled back, sunglasses on, baby.” Put simply, your Cheyenne Chamber understands the continued importance of this project, and we still work on it every month. The future of our community will be built on the billions the project brings into our economy, and the security of our children’s children will be defined by its success. How we handle the challenges (workforce, education, transportation, and small business competition, just to name a few) will define how we benefit from the program. Factually, the work isn’t only the cool kids stuff like taking pictures and doing press releases, but it’s also the math on the mundane like housing.

Finally, let’s put a few things to rest. Sentinel is not canceled. It is not drastically behind, and it is not underfunded. Look around the world, see the challenges, and you will realize that it is an imperative. In fact, it is one of very few items that Congress seems unified on and, frankly, they should be.

Sentinel, don’t doubt it that “our love for you will still be strong after the boys of summer are gone,” or at least our commitment to your completion.