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Council leases City Park annex to Eastern Wyoming College for archeology and museum training
Summary
Torrington approved a lease with Eastern Wyoming College to use the City Park annex (the former chamber/museum annex) for EWC’s archeology and museum-training program. The lease is $200 per month and requires EWC to cover insurance, utilities and property taxes; grant funding supports initial repairs and operations through July 2026.
The Torrington City Council on March 4 approved a business lease with Eastern Wyoming College (EWC) for the City Park building commonly referred to as the museum annex. The college plans to use the space for archeology and museology training and as a small public exhibit space.
Dr. Steve Howard, an EWC archaeology faculty member who spoke to the council, said the program needs an off-campus space to train students in museum operations and to mount exhibits. “That building just seemed to be right in the right spot,” Howard said, noting the site’s visibility and proximity for students. He told the council EWC has funding through a Wyoming Innovative Partnerships (WIP) grant through July 2026 and expects to use students, paid interns and community volunteers to staff the facility.
City staff described the lease terms to councilors: rent of $200 per month, with Eastern Wyoming College responsible for insurance, utilities and any property taxes that result from leasing the property. Finance director Lynette Strecker told councilors she had spoken to the county assessor for a tax estimate and that the $200 monthly rent was negotiated to cover expected tax and maintenance costs. The college will also use grant funds to pay for initial repairs, including new carpet and plumbing work.
Councilman Diehl moved to approve the lease; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote with no nays recorded. Councilors expressed support for the arrangement, noting potential economic and educational benefits from drawing students and visitors to Torrington.
EWC representatives said the program already draws students from across the region and plans to showcase a mixture of archaeological, historical and geological materials tied to local sites. City staff said repairs funded from grant sources will precede the lease’s effective operations and that the lease may be updated to match the grant timeline.
The council approved the lease agreement by voice vote and the mayor announced the lease was approved with no nays recorded.
