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Parks director details facilities, staffing and capital needs; several lake and mountain projects remain unfunded
Summary
Parks Director Michael gave a wide-ranging operations report covering campground and trail assets, recent projects and deferred capital needs at Alcova, Casper Mountain and other sites; director described staff levels and asked trustees to help shape budget priorities ahead of next fiscal cycle.
Parks Director Michael presented an operations and project update that cataloged the department’s facilities, recent work and outstanding capital needs.
Michael told trustees the department manages multiple facilities across Natrona County: Casper Mountain (trail center, biathlon range, 6 campgrounds, trail systems and other amenities), Alcova and Pathfinder reservoirs (campgrounds, boat ramps, docks, marinas and reservation-managed campsites), Ponderosa Park, Beartrap Meadow and other properties. He reported 56 outhouse vaults across lake properties and described ongoing maintenance, pumping and disposal needs that sometimes require contracted work because county equipment cannot reach every vault.
Director Michael reviewed projects completed since 2021 (online campground reservations, construction of the Diabase campground and boat ramp, temporary lodge work at the Casper Mountain Trail Center, lagoon/sewer work at Alkova) and noted several projects still awaiting funding or redesign: Beartrap shelter designs (low bids exceeded budget), replacement and rehabilitation of the Alkova trailer-park water and sewer system (engineer estimate roughly $4.09 million), Hell’s Half Acre boardwalk planning with a $190,000 grant allocated for boardwalk work, and day-to-day trail maintenance supported by volunteer groups such as Central Wyoming Trail Alliance (CWTA). He reported the biathlon operating agreement had expired and the club was working through compliance issues raised during an August 2024 site review.
On staffing the parks department currently had six full‑time staff, one on FMLA, one open position and three seasonal hires to fill; the director said staffing constraints affect the pace of capital and maintenance work. He asked trustees for a meeting in April to discuss next fiscal year priorities and budget inputs; trustees agreed to schedule follow-up work and a trustee review of draft budget priorities prior to county-commission consideration.
Trustees asked specific questions about the archery range (target replacement and parking), Beartrap shelters (options to scale back from three shelters to one to reduce cost), and wildfire risk at Casper Mountain; several trustees urged adding a frost‑proof potable fill station near the new lodge and connecting a waterline so campers can fill containers and to provide an immediate fire-suppression water source.
No formal votes were recorded on capital projects or budget line items during the report; trustees directed staff to continue planning and to coordinate with the county attorney and commissioners on funding options and grant pursuit.
