How long has Cheyenne struggled to
revitalize its downtown? Restaurants come and go. Downtown traffic can’t
sustain them. Two more recently closed. The hole and long-abandoned, decaying
buildings have become embarrassing landmarks. In spite of the commitment of so many,
revitalization of downtown Cheyenne has become a monument to Sisyphus.
You may recall how the gods condemned
Sisyphus to an eternity of hopeless and futile labor. He was required to
forever push an enormous rock to the top of the mountain. Every day Sisyphus put
his shoulder to the stone, wedge his feet and push with all his might, inching
the rock forward. But, whenever he made any progress, the stone rolled backward
under its own weight. The next day, he would start anew. It certainly wasn’t
for lack of effort that the stone never reached the mountaintop.
Nor is it for lack of effort that
revitalization of downtown Cheyenne seems as far away today as ever. There is
clearly no quick fix, but there is one possible long-range vision. This idea may be half a century late but if bold action isn’t
taken, nothing will change.
Imagine how different Cheyenne could be if
the campus of Laramie County Community College were downtown instead of where
it is.
At the time, it seemed the best choice. The
land was free. The voters had taken a lot of persuasion to even create the
college and were not enamored with spending a lot of money on it. And in the
late 60s, there was no mall and no heavily commercialized Dell Range. All of
that came later and as it did, downtown Cheyenne suffered.
Decades from now there will still be a
downtown Cheyenne. The question is whether or not it will be characterized by vitality
or not.
Now’s the time. As LCCC Trustees consider major
new building projects, there is an opportunity to develop a long-range plan to
move parts of the college into the heart of Cheyenne. Certainly, some of the college’s
facilities, such as agricultural, equine, auto body, and perhaps other
vocational programs should remain at the current location. Still, there would
be significant economic benefits from moving the center of campus activity to
downtown.
LCCC recently voted to fund planning for
three major projects that could form the vanguard of a gradual relocation. They
are a new 28 million-dollar residence hall, the renovation of the Fine Arts
Building, and construction of a 14 million-dollar auditorium to seat 450-500
people.
Beforehand, the Trustees and the community
should consider the economic surge that would follow the process of relocating elements
of the college from their current site to the downtown Cheyenne area.
Such a move couldn’t be expected to happen
overnight. It would take years. But consider what it would do for the local economy.
Witness communities that have college campuses in or near their downtown
commercial areas. In cities like Boise, Ft. Collins, and even Laramie where a
robust campus life radiates from the campus out across the downtown area. The
interactions and commercial intercourse between students, faculty, and
businesses generates economic diversification and growth. Students have employment
opportunities near their classrooms. Businesses experience ongoing and
sustained customer traffic.
Though it would be many years before such a
relocation could be completed, a decision to move in that direction could
result in immediate benefits. The location of student housing and a Fine Arts
Building in the downtown area would signal to developers that Cheyenne’s
downtown is the place to be. With students living in the downtown area, current
businesses would experience a greater customer base and new ones would have a
reason to make an investment in downtown Cheyenne. Downtown would suddenly
become a more attractive place to open new clothing stores, bars and
restaurants among other businesses catering to students and faculty.
The transition would be gradual but each step
would bring new life to the city. Perhaps we could start by filling in that
hole with the new 28 million-dollar residence hall.
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