 - The Riverton City Council has decided to designate all $14,490 of its Wyoming Community Gas Community Projects funding to park improvements this year.){kind=link}
(Riverton, WY) – The Riverton City Council has decided to designate all $14,490 of its Wyoming Community Gas Community Projects funding to park improvements this year.
It’s the same designation they chose last year, when the WCG money went toward security cameras that are in the process of being installed at Riverton City Park.
“The cameras (were) a great idea,” Mayor Tim Hancock said during a council meeting Tuesday. “Being able to have video (would) provide for increased safety there. So that’s … been a great use of the funds.”
This year, Hancock and city staff have already discussed several other ideas for use of the funding, including improvements to the downtown parking lot, parks improvements (lighting, equipment, facilities or shelter upgrades), cases for cultural or historic displays at City Hall, landscape improvements at City Hall, and improvements along the Riverwalk path, according to a memo.
Councilmember Mike Bailey said he would like to see the funding go toward lighting improvements at City Park, noting that he has received “a lot of comments from citizens” who are concerned about the increasing number of pedestrians crossing nearby roadways to access the skate park there.
“One of these days somebody’s going to get run over there,” Bailey said. “I think helping improve the visibility and the lighting around City Park is going to be a huge help (and) hopefully save some lives.”
Hancock said local residents have also approached him about the lighting issue, specifically pointing to the intersection of Main Street and Washington Avenue.
“That street just isn’t … well-lit,” he said, agreeing that additional lighting in the area would “make a difference for safety.”
Public Works Director Brian Eggleston said it would cost about $6,000 to install “a couple of lights in that area.”
“That would leave about $8,000 that we could look at (using for) lights elsewhere,” Hancock said. “That could include the Riverwalk … the Rails-to-Trails, (or) other parks.”
For more information call the City of Riverton at (307) 856-2227.