Justin Jacobs walked over to the Star Plunge early Tuesday morning and found an unwelcome sight. A closed sign on the door confirmed his fear that one of his favorite hot springs facilities was now closed to the public.
Jacobs told Cowboy State Daily he grew up in Hot Springs State Park, as his family once owned the Plaza Inn, before it was sold to Best Western. The hotel is located on the edge of the State Park.
The Star Plunge, with its indoor and outdoor hot springs pools and tubs combined with water slides and arcade games, was a favorite for him then and now. At the time, Michael Keaton’s “The Batman” was the rage.
“I would spend my allowance playing in the arcade up there and play (the Batman theme) song,” he said. “Roland used to sit behind the desk more often back then, and he would always call me ‘Batman’ every time I came in. Good memories!”
It’s memories like those which had many hearts breaking across Hot Springs County and surrounding communities.
Joy Erickson, for example, drove to the Star Plunge on Tuesday from Lander to take advantage of what she thought was to be its last day, only to discover it already closed.
“I’m here with my son, Dayton who is in tears, crying, very upset that we can’t go in,” she told Cowboy State Daily. “I had called, and they had said it was open. I guess the governor had to show his authority and shut us down early.”
Likewise, Annette Withington, 91, came in from Lander to take advantage of the facility’s last day, only to discover it closed.
“I come here often because it’s good for my health,’ she said. “I have a lot of problems with my shoulders. Here I can swim on my back and float, and it really makes them stronger.”
She, too, had called first to verify the facility would be open.
“I’m very upset, but it’s not (the owner’s) fault,” she said, adding, “We need to have this go back to the man who owns it. He runs a great place with wonderful slides. My caretaker brought me Sunday and her son has epilepsy. He was in the water doing handstands and going down the slide. It was so good for him. It’s good for anybody, besides it’s just fun.”
Jacobs’ post about the closure had also attracted dozens of comments from people expressing sadness.
“It feels like a piece of my childhood just died,” wrote Michelle Paul.
“This makes me so sad,” wrote Breanna Ennis.
Others expressed worry for the future of the park, wondering how affordable it will be in the future.
“I’m thinking this is just the start of how sad things re going to get in that park, and how out-priced things will be,” wrote an individual whose Facebook user name is GloriaLewis Gloria Stacy.
“And who thinks our park is a big enough area to turn it into a Pagosa Springs hot spring?” asked Facebook user Larry Rom Thomas.
No Deal
The embattled Hot Springs State Park attraction had remained open past its current operations contract. That had been set to expire on Dec. 31, but a two-week extension through Jan. 14 was granted so that Star Plunge owner, Roland Luehne, and Wyoming Hot Spring LLC, the state’s choice for a new operator, could discuss a potential agreement for the sale of the facility.
Those discussions have apparently fallen through.
“A Wyoming court will decide the legality of the Wyoming State Parks’ request for proposals,” Luehne told Cowboy State Daily. “Until a court date is set, the process is stalled. (Star Plunge) could be closed for years.”
No further extensions will be granted, Wyoming State Parks Big Horn District Manager Brooks Jordan told Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday.
“I know it would alleviate some things if a deal had been made,” he told Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday. “But we are following through with the outcome of their management agreement and extension, as they have expired.”
Jordan said that Wyoming state Parks will await the outcome of a lawsuit Luehne has filed questioning the legality of the state’s process in selecting a new operator, and accusing it of cheating them.
“We don’t have a good time frame on how long that will take,” Jordan said. “That’s up to the judge in the court. Once it’s resolved and there’s been a determination made by the court, then we can move forward based on that.”
Both the state and Luehne’s company, CMW Enterprises, will be maintaining a physical presence at the facility, Jordan said, to ensure no harm comes to the facility and that no pipes end up freezing and busting at the Star Plunge facility.
“It’s regrettable that it’s closed,” Jordan said. “But we want to make sure that the facility doesn’t incur any damage during this time, especially during the winter months.”
Luehne: Expect Higher Prices
Cowboy State Daily has been told previously that Luehne asking price for the Star Plunge facility that he and his family built is $3 million, to cover the cost of improvements he has recently made to the state park attraction.
Luehne has also previously stated it doesn’t make sense to close the facility while the court case proceeds, and he stressed that aspect again.
“Star Plunge attracts an average of 4,000 people from out of town monthly, and they will not be coming,” Luehnesaid. “So, they’re canceling their swims, hotels, and everything else they’d spend money on.”
Not only that, Luehne added, 15 people will lose their jobs and healthcare, while close to 1,200 season ticket holders won’t be able to use the facilities that they have paid for.
“Many of the season ticket holders are elderly and rely on that for their health,” he said. “Our place is pretty unique, with ramps from the parking lot right to the indoor and outdoor pools.”
Luehne suggested that the community should probably expect dramatic price increases in the future.
“The acquisition of Star Plunge will necessitate debt financing, resulting in increased operational costs and subsequently higher prices for customers,” he said. “Given the existing high pricing structure, this increase presents a significant challenge for Wyoming residents. All people I have talked to are in disbelief that we are closed. Most are upset by the decisions that are being made for them.”
Star Plunge water park and hot springs in Thermopolis closed Tuesday, a day earlier than expected as a dispute continues between the state and the facility's owners/operators. (Jackie Dorothy, Cowboy State Daily) 
Star Plunge water park and hot springs in Thermopolis closed Tuesday, a day earlier than expected as a dispute continues between the state and the facility's owners/operators. (Jackie Dorothy, Cowboy State Daily) 
Shawn Norby holds a sign explaining the Star Plunge water park and hot springs in Thermopolis was closed Tuesday, a day earlier than expected as a dispute continues between the state and the facility's owners/operators. (Jackie Dorothy, Cowboy State Daily) 
Star Plunge water park and hot springs in Thermopolis closed Tuesday, a day earlier than expected as a dispute continues between the state and the facility's owners/operators. (Jackie Dorothy, Cowboy State Daily) 
Star Plunge water park and hot springs in Thermopolis closed Tuesday, a day earlier than expected as a dispute continues between the state and the facility's owners/operators. (Jackie Dorothy, Cowboy State Daily)
Tourism Drives Hot Springs County’s Economy
Tourism is a huge driver for Hot Springs County’s economy, Hot Springs County Commissioner Paul Galovich told Cowboy State Daily.
“One of the benefits of the pools in the wintertime is it’s a great getaway place,” he said. “Especially for residents of Wyoming out of Casper, Riverton, Cody and other places, to come soak in the hot water, so it’s absolutely an important factor.”
Given that, Galovich said he doesn’t understand why the state would close the facility for the duration of the court case.
“The economic impact of that can’t be favorable,” he said. “I don’t know the exact numbers of what that will be, but it can’t be favorable when you shut down a facility like that. So, I think there could have been a better plan, I really do. And I don’t know the details and all the timing of events that are transpiring here, but you’re shutting down a business that serves the local people of Hot Springs County and surrounding communities this time of the year, and I don’t think that’s a really good idea.”
Galovich also questioned, if there will be people on site, why the facility can’t remain open to the public.
“Somebody should explain why you can’t just continue to operate it,” he said. “I mean especially through the winter months, if you’re concerned about ice and freezing and everything else, why not? If you don’t have a direct plan to do something with it, why not keep it operating through the winter?”
Cowboy State Daily also reached out to Commissioners Tom Ryan and Philip Scheel, both of whom declined to comment.
Tourism Is The New Oil In Thermopolis
Tourism became Hot Springs County’s main economic driver when the oilfield slowed down in the mid 1980s, Jacobs said.
“They’re not really doing a lot of drilling out there in the Big Horn Basin because the oil is just it’s either too far down or it’s just not feasible right now,” he said. “So, oil is not really part of the economy as much. We were tourism-based when my family owned the Plaza, and that’s pretty much what it is now.”
That’s led to a lot of empty buildings in Thermopolis, Jacobs suggested, adding that, in his opinion, now is not the time to close the Star Plunge and take it away from a family that has run it successfully for the last 50 or so years.
The Hot Springs, meanwhile, are attracting an older demographic of retired, middle-class folks, Jacobs said, who are coming to the town for access to the healing waters at Hot Springs State Park.
“I’ve seen what’s happened to popular (hot springs) destinations in Colorado over the last 20 years, and how the access to them has become much more difficult,” he said. “I feel, especially for middle class people, which is primarily the economic demographic of the state of Wyoming, I’m very concerned about the future of the park, because both pools are now owned by the same guy and I don’t know what the state’s plan for the park is, and how they’re going to go about keeping the pools open for public use.”
Tribes Getting Involved
Public Access to the hot springs is a particularly sticky issue, Jacobs suggested.
“I remember back in the 90s when the state of Wyoming was going to charge an entrance fee,” he said. “Because I was there at the meeting at the auditorium in town, and they had a public forum accepting public opinion on it.”
That brought all the tribes off the reservation, Jacobs said, who were there to remind the state of a signed treaty that says one quarter of the healing waters of Thermopolis are to be free to the public in perpetuity.
The State Bath House is free to the public because of that, Jacobs acknowledged, but questioned whether the state’s approach on that really honors the spirit of what the treaty required.
“The State Bath House only lets you in there for 20 minutes,” Jacobs said. “And then (they) close it at like 5 o’clock.”
Jacobs said he believes that’s part of what’s making this a contentious issue for the tribes, and in fact, at least one tribe has sent letters to Gov. Mark Gordon, imploring him to halt further action on the Star Plunge until he has consulted in a “meaningful way” with them.
“We are reiterating our requests to be treated as full decision makers regarding access to our sacred waters and lands and benefit-sharing,” wrote Eastern Shoshone Business Council Chairman Wayland K. Large, adding that the Star Plunge has been operated by someone local for “three-plus generations and continues to serve as a place where multiple generations of our people swim together, maintain our sacred connection to the waters and heal. It’s also an important driver for the local economy, including our Wind River Reservation.
Hoping For Growth
Thermopolis Mayor Adam Estenson acknowledged the importance of the Star Plunge facility to the town’s winter tourism, and said it also has an important place in the town’s history.
“I know the Star Plunge has a nostalgic place in my heart,” he said. “As a kid growing up, coming to Thermopolis all the time to visit my grandparents, and we’d go to the Star.”
From the economic side, Estenson acknowledged that the closure of the Star Plunge is going to cause some disruption.
Change is always hard,” he said. “But, as I’ve said a few times now in my two years as mayor, change is hard, but today’s normal was somebody’s change yesterday. That’s kind of just the nature of life.”
Estenson said he believes many people in Thermopolis and the surrounding community are looking for growth and are “looking at the bigger picture with this,” even if some of them may not be as vocal about that.
“They are understanding what the state is wanting to do with the State Park,” he said. “There’s the potential of growth out of that.”
Growth is something that Thermopolis, like many small towns across Wyoming, could use, Estenson suggested.
“Our former council member Bill Malloy — and I don’t know if it was a quote he got from a book or what — but it was along the lines of if small towns want to stay the same, they need to change. And I think that’s pretty poignant.
“Thermopolis is looking to the future,” Estenson continued. “And we’re trying to do everything we can to keep this town viable. That’s going to take change, but it’s the law of entropy really. You’ve got to keep putting energy back into the system.”
Cowboy State Daily writer Jackie Dorothy contributed to this story.
Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.
