CHEYENNE – I am sitting at my computer in a bit of a food coma after a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. A day cooking, watching football, playing games, and spending time with family makes it my favorite day of the year. I hope you all were able to enjoy all the above. This has been a surprisingly quiet week for the mayor’s office. I have enjoyed the time to plan and schedule time with directors to discuss how we meet the challenges we see on the horizon.
We have had too much senseless vandalism recently. The Police Chief and I met with the owner of a downtown restaurant that captured video of three men walking in broad daylight and spray painting his building and outdoor tables. He was disappointed it has taken this long to prosecute the men for the damages. Good news is we have made the case and the vandal was arrested. I appreciate business owners and residents helping our police catch those doing senseless vandalism.
I am excited by the opportunity to meet with the mayors and administrators from the six largest cities in our state. I asked these cities to meet so we can share our successes and ask for best practices on things we need to solve. Our first meeting is in Casper next week. I appreciate the cities being willing to meet, and I hope this is the first of many.
We have been holding many work sessions with the city council this year to educate the members and to ensure we all are working with the same information. Our last work session was titled “Climate Wellness Through Soil Health”. The big idea is to have Cheyenne become a leader in the area by encouraging landowners to improve their soil to capture more carbon. Eighth grade science, photosynthesis takes the carbon from the air and stores it in the soil, making our earth healthier. It was an interesting presentation, and an opportunity for Cheyenne to lead.
I spent time with John Volk. I love talking with folks who have been in Cheyenne for such a long time and have the institutional knowledge of how our city evolved to what it is today. I so appreciate the investment they have made in downtown. The remodel of their buildings, landscaping, and job creation is outstanding. We have some work to do to support their efforts, and I will work to make sure it gets done.
We received some great news from Microsoft. They announced two new data centers in Cheyenne. The billions of investment, high paying jobs, and diversification of our local economy are all benefits. In addition, Microsoft quietly gives so much back to our community. This shows how important the exemption for data centers is for the Wyoming economy and Cheyenne. Thanks to Microsoft for making the decision and LEADS for all their work to show them the value of locating here.
My office in the municipal building has been closed for a while now with boiler problems. I have been having meetings in the Botanic Gardens and loving the environment. I would encourage you all to visit during the holidays. I have watched as they have been decorating for the holidays. Judy and I love Santa, and the second floor is all about Santa.
We met to get an update on the progress of our municipal building repairs. The parts to repair the boiler are on order, and with supply chain problems, slow in arriving. While the building is closed, carpets are being replaced, and other necessary repairs are being done. I cannot wait to get back to the office.
Judy and I are pleased to be part of the Christmas Parade on Saturday. The crews have transformed the Depot Plaza into a holiday wonderland, and the parade will have more than 100 floats and entries to dazzle all of us. The weather report looks like it will be one of the nicest days for the parade in years. I hope you will join us.
I received a question from Wanda this week. She asks “Does the city own the old Cheyenne airport building? If so, is it going to be sold or used by another entity i.e., such as the gymnastics program?”
Wanda, that is a good question and one I hear quite often. The short answer is the old airport building is owned by the airport and not the city. The airport is working with the Federal Aviation Administration to determine what they can do with the building. It has federal funding, and that requires the feds to weigh in on how the building is used in the future. My hope is that a community discussion will help shape the future of this beautiful old building.
If you have a question for me, send it to media@cheyennecity.org.
