The Laramie City Council moved forward on Tuesday with a roughly $1.35 million bike path project for Cirrus Sky Technology Park.
The proposed concrete trail is projected to reach about 9,200 feet and is intended to attract potential business to the area, Laramie Engineering Division Civil Engineer William Winkler said.
Cirrus Sky Technology Park, located on North 22nd street and containing 149 acres, is a plot of Laramie land dedicated to the development of buildings for companies in the technology sector. According to council documents, the plan was conceived in 2012 and estimated to cost approximately $5.8 million.
“I know that bicycle paths are great,” Council Member Bryan Shuster said. “I know people use that ridge. But boy I have a problem with this. We are supposedly in a budget crunch and we are going to spend $1.3 million of our people’s funds, of our state’s funds, on this project?
According to council documents, about $287,000 of the project’s cost would be paid for out of the non-enterprise fund budget with another $581,000 allocated from revenue collected from sales of Cirrus Sky Technology Park lots. Additionally, $435,000 from the Wyoming Department of Transportation Alternatives Program grant is also expected to be used for the project.
Laramie City Manager Janine Jordan replied to Schuster’s concerns.
“I understand the council’s comments given the budget climate we’re in, but remember we started down this path in 2012,” Jordan said. “I hear what you are saying about your sensitivity to budget, but this came well before anyone anticipated an economic bust.”
The council approved the project bid with a 5-1 vote, with council member Schuster in opposition and three council members absent from the meeting.
The council also discussed a proposal for specific mosquito services by Vector Disease Control International (VDCI), a company based out of Little Rock, AK, for the 2017 and 2018 Summer seasons.
Earlier this year, the Department of Parks and Recreation received three different proposals for aerial mosquito control services. Director of Parks and Recreation Todd Feasor said VDCI best met the city’s needs.
“A few of the characteristics that led us to choose VDCI were their quantity of aircrafts and they have a better response in case of emergency,” he said.
The council approved the agreement with a 6-0 vote.
