I am writing this week’s mayor’s minute from Lompoc California where I am visiting with a group of civic leaders to watch the launch of a Minute Man lll missile. Our friends at the Air Guard flew us in a C130, first to Ellsworth Air Force Base to see the B1 Bomber mission and learn about the upgrades happening on the base to accommodate the new B21. There are $1.5 billion dollars of building and facility upgrades currently underway or planned in the near future. It was interesting to see the activity as we will also see similar upgrades with the new Sentinel missile upgrade coming to FE Warren AFB. I enjoyed comparing notes with the Rapid City mayor and learning their challenges. Housing is their biggest challenge, sound familiar?
Two straight mornings up at 4:30 AM, sigh!!! We flew from South Dakota in driving snow and landed in 70-degree weather at Vandenberg AFB in California. Standing in the cockpit of the C130 I was awed by the views of the Utah mountains covered in snow. I have been bad luck on these scheduled test flights of Minute Man missiles. They have had to be rescheduled each time I have been in attendance. Hoping that will change tonight. The base commander is taking folks from Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming to familiarize them with missile operations, to help them get ready for all the activity we will see in the missile field in the coming years. For many this is their first experience with our Air Force, and they are amazed and pleased by the quality of the folks we have leading our military. It is smart to get everyone educated and prepared for what should be a very exciting time in our tristate area.
Last Friday, Joe Schaffer our president from LCCC gave an update on the progress the college has made over the past decade, and the plans for its future. At the end, I wanted to stand up and shout, Amen!! Facilities upgrades, work force development, graduation rates increasing, being the best value in 350 miles, developing entrepreneurs, and so much more. I am most excited about the advanced manufacturing training that they are currently building on campus. Joe gets it, and LCCC is an important part of Cheyenne and the area growing and diversifying our economy. If you have not been on campus recently, drive by and see the changes.
We have spent a bunch of time discussing the future of our Downtown Development Authority. As I walk around our downtown, I see the incremental improvements that have occurred in the past few years. Great new restaurants, cool specialty stores, a drug store, restored Atlas Theater, coffee shops, museums, and so much more. I believe the DDA has been instrumental in creating an environment where business can come downtown and thrive. Thank you to everyone who has invested in our downtown and is helping to make it the heartbeat of our city.
Saturday afternoon was another first for me. There is a group of folks in south Cheyenne who are actively opposing our city’s growth and annexations. Representative Styvar invited me to a meeting with the group. I enjoyed the experience. It was disheartening to hear their theories that the city is intentionally making annexation decisions to affect their lives. Nothing could be further from the truth, but it was good to hear their thoughts and answer them directly. Cheyenne is growing, but it is growing at the request of land owners who want to grow in the city. City services, especially water and sewer are essential to their success. I appreciate Representative Styvar and the folks for the invitation and conversation.
Senate File 13 is a bill we have worked on all summer to add more bar and grill liquor licenses for our city and to add a new entertainment category to the license. We testified on why the bill is critical to the Corporation Committee and it passed out of committee 7 to 2. Since then, it has passed thru the House with an amendment that will require an agreement with the Senate before it becomes law. It is exciting as this is the license that Napoli’s, Rib and Chop House, Wasabi, Ike’s Bar and Grill, Hacienda Guadalajara, and 9 more great restaurants have used to operate in Cheyenne. Why would we want to limit these kinds of places. Happily, the legislature agreed, and we will have 7 additional licenses starting July first. So much appreciation for Joint Corporations Committee for helping get us through the summer, and the Corporations Committee on both sides of the legislature for helping guide this legislation through the process.
A bill was introduced in the House this session that would allow a Vegas style casino to be built in Laramie County. It ultimately failed. What I have learned is legislation like this sometimes takes a few years before it gets the traction to get passed. I met with Travis McNiven and Laura Lewis who represent the potential casino operator this week. We had a very frank conversation on the good and bad of having a casino in your community. Members of the Revenue Committee brought the idea forward as it would be a new revenue source that is not mineral related, that could help fund future school expenses. I understand the idea and need for school financing, I just need to better understand the consequences that could come from having a casino in town. I think these talks will be ongoing as the years go by.
Summer Wasson is leading our Technology Advisory Board. I learned what keeps our tech folks up at night is cyber-attacks and the damage it can do to our residents and business community. To address the issues of cyber-attacks, they are planning a conference on August 18th to educate us on the risks and how to prevent them from being successful. I learned that 80% of small businesses that get a ransomware attack are not in business a year later. Wow! I am looking forward to our Tech Advisory Board hosting the conference and I hope our community will take these risks seriously and do the things necessary to prevent them.
The sky is clear, and I hope we will get to see a missile launch tonight. Fingers and everything else are crossed. I will report the outcome next week.
If you have a question or comment for me, please send an email to media@cheyennecity.org. I’ll continue to answer your questions or concerns in the following Mayor’s Minute column.
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