Riverton to use $14,500 Wyoming Community Gas grant for security cameras, lights at downtown parking lot

(Riverton, WY) – The Riverton City Council has agreed to re-direct this year’s Wyoming Community Gas Community Projects grant to pay for security cameras and improved lighting at the downtown parking lot at North Broadway and East Fremont.

Previously, the council had directed city staff to spend the money – about $14,500 – on local park improvements.

Once that decision was made, City Administrator Kyle Butterfield said staff “looked at opportunities to make a park improvement with these funds and honed in on a drinking fountain for City Park.”

“However, (we) found that the estimate to purchase a drinking fountain, extend the water line, and install it exceeded the amount of funds that were available from the Community Gas grant,” Butterfield said. “Therefore, we went back to the drawing board and re-explored some of the other options that were brought forward.”

The idea to install security cameras and better lighting at the downtown parking lot came from the Riverton Downtowners as part of their “Main Street initiative,” Butterfield said, and city staff have already obtained a price estimate for the project that indicates it “would fall within that allocation” from WCG.

“We’d like to get moving on it so that we can expend the funds this budget year,” Butterfield said, asking the council for feedback on the proposal to “pivot from park improvements and invest in the downtown parking lot.”

Councilwoman Karla Borders said she felt “it would be money very well spent to up the security in that parking lot” and “maybe chase off some of the bad actors – because they’ll be on camera now.”

“More light, less problems,” Councilmember Kyle Larson agreed.

Mayor Tim Hancock said the proposal “sounds good to me,” adding that, “if we wanted to still go ahead with the drinking fountain” and it’s “going to be a little bit over budget from what we were estimating from Wyoming Community Gas, we could add (the drinking fountain project) to the capital plan this year, and then we’d be able to have that funded in part by Wyoming Community Gas.”

“There had also still been some discussion – and I think it’s a worthwhile discussion – for improved lighting on the south end of the park there,” Hancock said. “We had talked about that (being) dark, and people crossing that road. We certainly don’t want to have someone getting hit. … So a couple ideas for next year.”

Butterfield said there would be an opportunity next fiscal year to “look at the park improvements” again.

For more information, call the City of Riverton at (307) 856-2227.