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Cheyenne council urges action plan for downtown improvements, parking and sidewalks; DDA role to continue
Summary
Councilmembers pushed for an annual downtown maintenance and improvement process, immediate parking‑garage upgrades and a clearer division of responsibility between the city and the Downtown Development Authority for sidewalks and curb/gutter work.
Council members said downtown improvements and parking require a clearer, annual action plan to coordinate small capital repairs, curb and gutter work, crosswalks and parking‑structure upgrades.
Councilman Seagrave called for a standing, annual schedule to identify downtown maintenance needs, solicit RFPs in the fall and perform concrete work during quieter seasons. “I would really like to have a specific plan in place that we can rely on every year,” he said, urging the city to use smaller contractors for smaller concrete jobs so repairs do not backlog.
Council members discussed the roles of the city and the Downtown Development Authority (DDA). Councilwoman Aldrich (who also chairs the DDA board) said the DDA is preparing a director search and a plan that would target delineation, parking delineation and a sidewalk program; several members agreed that sidewalks on private property remain a DDA/mill‑levy matching program in many cases while curb and crosswalk work is a city capital responsibility.
On the parking garage, staff said bids for lighting and painting the interior white were out and that gates could be installed at an estimated cost of about $100,000; several members suggested painting the interior to improve perception of safety. Council members also discussed using existing programs that reserve city miscellaneous concrete funds for small downtown repairs and exploring options for additional surface parking on privately held or blighted parcels.
The council asked staff and the DDA to return with an annual downtown improvement procedure that lists responsible agencies, funding sources, a seasonal schedule for small capital projects, and a prioritized list of curb, gutter and crosswalk repairs. Staff said a public hearing on a downtown plan is scheduled for the next regular council meeting and that design work on curb/gutter replacements is underway.
Deliverables: a draft annual downtown improvement procedure; cost estimates for painting and lighting the parking structure; and a prioritized inventory of curb, crosswalk and sidewalk repairs for council review by late July.
