CHEYENNE — Cheyenne residents got good news recently about plans for a what is known as the Big Hole.
Well, maybe it is good news. We residents of the capital city have been down this road before — many times. So we may be a bit skeptical.
The problem blew up 21 years ago when a large piece in a historic block in downtown Cheyenne burned down. It was Mary’s Bakery. The cause was arson. But the case never was solved.
And the big hole left, where the building once stood, has never been filled or otherwise fixed.
It looks like a missing front tooth in a row of historic 1880’s buildings on Cheyenne’s main street, Lincolnway, a major tourist magnet.
The once-adjacent Hynds Building, on the east side, has been largely vacant and for sale for years. The main floor is open with various art type offerings and music.
The city has been struggling for years to find the answer to a complicated real estate situation
“There are too many owners of the hole,” John Sundahl, a member of city’s development group said at a 2013 meeting,
No one could even agree on putting up a fence, he added.
By then officials did know if the fence was structurally adequate to hold the panels given the wind load.
Today the hole is fenced -- apparently safely — and covered with local art.
Over the years various proposals have announced. There were hotels with plans to renovate the Hynds into apartments.
One such idea included building an elevated walkway between the Hynds and the city’s parking garage.
It was intended to protect Hynds residents from the elements in reaching their cars.
At that time several cities were tearing down their walkways because the people like them; they spoiled the view.
There were several other similar ideas that never progressed.
One of note was for a children’s museum, the dream of a group of volunteers. Public opinion said not because of the traffic congestion and danger to the children in the downtown location.
The museum found a new location.
The new plan is different in that it uses taxpayer money from the sixth sales tax penny through a citizen approved Proposal 12 in 2021.
The approved resolution entails entering into a public-private partnership with LEADS, the local economic development company, to create a revolving loan fund that LEADS would help manage to bring resources to the Hynds.
When the money is paid back at the end of this project, the city will have money to put toward another project, according to the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle.
Joan Barron can be reached at: jmbarron@bresnan.net
