The Riverton City Council has decided to use this year’s annual grant from Wyoming Community Gas to pay for improvements at Riverton City Park.
The grant has historically gone toward “general park maintenance,” city administrator Kyle Butterfield said during a council meeting this week, but this year, staff moved the money into the city council budget so the elected representatives could “provide us direction on how you want to use those funds.”
This year’s grant totaled about $13,250, he noted, and “we do need to designate the use of these funds in the near future.”
It was Mayor Tim Hancock who suggested the money could be used for City Park improvements, Butterfield said, and “those could range from the installation of, let’s say, a drinking fountain, (to) the addition of streetlights – two concerns that have been brought up at least in the last six months.”
Hancock said a resident approached him about the lighting on the south side of the park, where “it tends to get dark” right where motorists turn off of Federal Boulevard.
“Their concern … was if you have (pedestrians) crossing there, it gets hard to see,” he explained.
A preliminary quote from Rocky Mountain Power indicated it would cost about $7,000 to install three street lights on Washington Avenue, Butterfield said.
Based on that estimate, Councilmember Mike Bailey pointed out, “we could afford five or maybe six” new street lights – enough to provide additional lighting in other areas of City Park as well.
“The issues that I’ve heard from citizens (are) on the east end of the park,” Bailey said. “The kids are there at the skate park, (and) when they’re leaving … it’s pretty dark down there too.”
Other ideas
The electrical system that is used for events at City Park could be upgraded as well, Bailey added, and Hancock said he would like to have another camera installed in the area.
The cameras currently in place at City Park have “made a huge difference (in) being able to investigate and be aware of incidents” that occur near the band shelter, where the cameras “tend to be pointed” and “where we tend to have issues,” Hancock said, but it “would be helpful” if there were more cameras in place to cover additional portions of the park – like the skate park, where “we’ve had a couple of incidents that have actually resulted in charges and police being called.”
Councilmember Kristy Salisbury said Sunset Park could use a camera as well, and other parks might benefit from drinking fountains.
For more information, call the City of Riverton at 856-2227.