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Board approves $100,000 toward Riverside Memorial Park pathway and lighting; city seeks larger federal match
Summary
The Green River recreation board approved $100,000 in rec-mill funds to help the City of Green River complete a reconstructed riverbank and new pathway and lighting at Riverside Memorial Park. City officials said the full pathway-and-lighting cost is now estimated near $900,000 and that federal grant awards will determine next steps.
The Green River Recreation Board voted to provide $100,000 in rec-mill matching funds for the Riverside Memorial Park pathway and lighting project after a city presentation on the scope and funding needs. The decision followed a request from Ryan Reston, government affairs and grants manager for the City of Green River, who described the work as “a long time coming.”
Reston told the board the city began work on the park in 2020 and has completed riverbank stabilization and playground replacement using a mix of federal land-and-water conservation funds and city contributions. He said inflation and earlier delays — including pandemic-related pause and grant timing — raised construction costs. “Originally, the city received a transportation alternatives program grant … $400,000 in federal funds and a $100,000 match,” Reston said, but bid results showed the pathway-and-lighting portion now estimates near $900,000.
The nut of the request was that the city is reapplying to the Wyoming Department of Transportation’s TAP program and hopes to increase the federal share; the city asked the rec board to provide matching funds or to help cover shortfalls if the federal award does not cover the new estimate. Reston said the entire Riverside Park effort, including riverbank, playground, pathway and lighting, is roughly a $1.5 million project to complete.
Board members discussed the district’s shrinking rec-mill revenue after the recent property tax cut and expressed reluctance to use reserves for every request. One trustee proposed approving $100,000 now and inviting the city back next year for additional support if YDOT funds do not materialize; the motion passed without a recorded roll-call in the transcript.
The board and city representatives noted the pathway is likely dependent on the TAP award timetable and that construction may not begin in the next fiscal year if additional federal funds are required. Reston said the riverbank work needs to be completed before pathway replacement, and that recent additional federal grants and rec-mill money already spent on the playground and bank work leave the pathway and lighting as the remaining major cost.
The board’s approval provides the city a committed local match to leverage in discussions with YDOT and other grantors. Reston said the city will return with updates if the YDOT reapplication yields a revised federal award or if uncovered costs remain.
The action: board approved $100,000 for the Riverside Memorial Park Pathway and Lighting Project as a partial local match; the city will continue seeking federal funds and may return for further requests.
The board’s vote and Reston’s presentation occurred during the rec board meeting portion of the evening; the transcript records an affirmative voice vote but does not provide named yes/no votes in the public record provided to the reporter.
