(Riverton, WY) Now that the weather is warmer and the streets are mostly cleared of ice and snow, those on the Fix Our Roads Citizen Committee (FORCC) were in discussion about moving forward on this year’s projects for Riverton’s streets and roads in their meeting at city hall on Monday.
2024 projects include the Pavement Slurry Seal Project, the Major Avenue and College View Drive project, and the Riverview Road Study.
Last month, the city’s Streets and Alleys crew had been addressing ice dams and ice ruts in the streets. The Pavement Slurry Seal Project is estimated to begin in late May/early June.
The Riverton City Council recently approved a $599,594 bid for the North Major and College View Improvement project, granted to 71 Construction. The project is estimated to begin sometime in late July to early August, before school begins.
Striping was also discussed for city streets, which include Webbwood, North 6th, Pershing, Sunset, College View, Majors Hills, S. Majors, Monroe, Broadway, Park, Adams, Airport Road, Hill Street, and Chandelle Blvd.
Last year’s FORCC projects included the Davis Lane Reconstruction, Pavement Preservation, and the (ongoing) Riverview Road Study.
Click here for a complete spending and project history of FORCC projects from 2014 to 2023.
‘The FORCC is with us’
According to the city’s website, the FORCC committee was created as oversight for the one-cent sales tax which is used to improve the city’s roads and other associated infrastructure. “To ensure the optional tax is used to the best interest of the people who voted its approval, the Mayor and Riverton City Council established a committee of citizens to advise the City on which projects to utilize the tax revenues and to provide fiscal guidance for the funds.”
The Riverton City Council enacted Resolution 1253 on December 4, 2012, committing the City to use the revenue generated by the tax for “infrastructure projects related to streets, roads, bridges, water and sewer utilities.”
Thomas Johnson of Apex Surveying is the FORCC Chair. Riverton’s Public Works Director Brian Eggleston, City Engineer Brendan Thoman, and City Councilman Mike Bailey also sit on the FORCC committee, as does WYDOT Resident Engineer Robert Scheidemantel.
“The public needs to be more educated as to what we do with which fund,” said Councilman Bailey, who is the FORCC city liaison. “This fund deals specifically with the one-cent sales tax which goes to FORCC, which is for roads and infrastructure. This group is very frugal in making sure we use the taxpayers’ funds properly and get a lot of things done that we need to do.”
‘An ounce of prevention…’
Bailey said last year, they spent approximately $2.4 million on curbs and gutter projects, chip sealing, and road preservation, mentioning Sunset Drive and projects east of Federal Boulevard.
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” he said. “Even at that pace, that just barely keeps up with the maintenance needs of the roads in the city of Riverton (we’re not building any new roads, which there’s probably a need for)…this group has done a really good job in vetting different projects, and that they (the funds) get spread around the community.”
Bailey said that they’ve used the FORCC funds for grant matching, and are always searching for other grants and funding sources that would help with road infrastructure.
“Before we had FORCC the city didn’t have anywhere close to enough budget,” Bailey continued. “WYDOT has an urban systems committee, but it doesn’t generate much. I think that Lander, the county…they’ve all done a good job in putting that money towards improving the roads and proportioning that out. Nothing would work if we don’t find the money for it…there is a long list of projects we need to do, and all year around it’s about finding the money to do the things we need to do.”
For more information about FORCC, visit the city’s website.