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Rock Springs council tables resolution to close Civic Center for construction, seeks more study
Summary
The Rock Springs City Council voted to table a resolution that would close the Rock Springs Civic Center for construction and possible repurposing. Councilors and residents urged more study, and staff said a structural assessment proposal could be ready by mid- to late summer.
Rock Springs City Council members on the dais voted to table Resolution 2025-54, which would have ordered closure of the Rock Springs Civic Center for construction, repurpose and possible renovation, after extended public comment and council discussion.
The move to table drew a roll-call vote after the mayor said the item prompted “much more intense interest” than other agenda items; City Clerk Matthew L. McBurnett performed the roll call. Mayor Max Mickelson said, “I will be asking Mr. McBurnett to do a roll call vote for this resolution.”
The tabling shifts formal action to the council’s next meeting. Council members and residents pressed for more concrete plans and cost information before approving closure. One resident who addressed the council urged preserving the building for historical and community reasons, saying, “That building has a little significance to me.”
City staff told the council they are assembling proposals for a full building assessment. A staff member identified in the meeting as JJ said the firms the city is speaking with did similar work for the local school district and could provide both immediate priorities and a longer-term (20-year) maintenance cost plan; JJ estimated a completed proposal and on-site assessment “probably be midsummer” or possibly “the end of summer.”
Council members noted that tabling does not permanently kill the resolution. The city attorney explained that a tabled resolution must be taken up at the next meeting or it effectively fails after two meetings unless reintroduced.
Several councilors said they would welcome concrete “plan to have a plan” proposals from the community or from consultants showing how services could be relocated, what costs would be incurred, and potential funding sources. Councilor Mary Mickelson said she opposed immediate approval without a detailed plan and asked that the public submit concrete proposals rather than general pleas not to close the facility.
The council’s tabling vote carried. The resolution will return to the council agenda at the next meeting; council members and staff urged public stakeholders to submit written plans and questions to help shape the next discussion.
The council discussion also included brief comments from members about preserving the Union Pacific Coal Company–era building if recreational operations relocate; those remarks were offered as possibilities rather than formal direction.
The tabling preserves the Civic Center’s current operations for now while the council pursues a structural assessment and additional information ahead of the final budget vote and future council action.
