CHEYENNE — One of the attributes needed to work in government is patience.
The wheels grind very slowly sometimes in achieving a goal.
For Cheyenne City Councilman Scott Roybal his pet project — the Belvoir Ranch master plan — took 15 years of effort.
The ranch is located 16 miles west of Cheyenne.
The first stage of development involves the city-owned trail system which covers 17 miles in the north part of he ranch, according to the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle.
In an interview last week with Cowboy State Daily, Roybal said the official date to access the hiking trail loops will be announced in a couple of weeks. The opening has been waiting on the installation of portable toilets.
The “ranch,” he said is a working ranch with a manager, meaning grazing cattle will co-exist with the non ranching section of hikers and bikers.
The city council continues to work on the target area that would further open the trails to what is known as the “Big Hole.”
This 1,800 acres of open space south of the Belvoir is considered a recreational jewel.
It extends to the Colorado border and the Red Mountain Open Space in Larimer County.
Access to this area is a problem because a Union Pacific Railroad line runs through the property.
The city council is considering alternate means of crossing the UP line including a bridge or an underpass. The underpass seems to be the method in favor.
“The Union Pacific is difficult to work with” Roybal said.
The entire project has had a complicated history similar to other ambitious endeavors of this scope.
In the beginning the city had no visions of a recreationist’s paradise or a tourist mecca in the Belvoir or the Big Hole.
The motive was to get the property for its ground water and as a potential future landfill site.
The city of Cheyenne bought the Belvoir Ranch in 2003 for $5.9 million. Two years later, the city paid $525,000 for the Big Hole.
In the years following the purchase, the city officials found other ways to take care of the municipal water supply and the landfill need. They decided the Belvoir had other potential uses and attractions.
The result was a master plan for the Belvoir and the Big Hole published in 2008.
More than 200 pages long, the enthusiastic plan included walking and mountain bike trail systems, a tent campground, RV campground, an equestrian area, a playground, picnic areas and a links golf course.
In the updated master plan, some of those amenities like equestrian areas have been omitted, the Cheyenne newspaper article said.
Like many future plans in other cities, the Belvoir’s got put on the back burner because of budget cuts and the recession starting in 2008 and has pretty much stayed there.
The problem was lack of money and determination on the part of many Cheyenne leaders.
The Belvoir as a recreation spot became a vision and not an essential part of running a city government.
Still, buying it was a smart decision.
The groundwater is there and so is the space for a landfill if it is ever needed.
Another plus for the area are its historical assets —the old Atlas missile silos, teepee rings, homestead locations and an outlaw cabin.
When Royal took office for the second time, in 2015, he made public his desire to see some progress on the Belvoir. He said he believed public access should be a top priority, according to a published account.
”Hiking and bike trails, I think that's going to be where we start," Roybal said.
"Once we get more interest out there, the want, need and desire to use it will be more."
Cheyenne, he said, needed someone to take an active role in advocating for the Belvoir.
And he was that someone.
It takes a lot of patience.
Contact Joan Barron ar 307-632-2534 or jmbarron@bresnan.net
