An key proposed Greenway connector needs a bit of political juice. Do you know anyone who has any?

There is a place where the sidewalk ends

And before the street begins,

And there the grass grows soft and white,

And there the sun burns crimson bright,

And there the moon-bird rests from his flight

To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black

And the dark street winds and bends.

Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow

We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,

And watch where the chalk-white arrows go

To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,

And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,

For the children, they mark, and the children, they know

The place where the sidewalk ends.

-- Where the Sidewalk Ends, Shel Silverstein

BY RICHARD JOHNSON

I have been a supporter and proponent since the late 1980s when my parents’ neighbor came over to talk to me about a new endeavor the city of Cheyenne was undertaking. It was called “The Greenway.”

In 2015 Jeff Wiggins,

A propose Greenway link north of downtown needs some help.

then Cheyenne’s Greenway coordinator, showed me the Avenues connector behind the cemetery. It went from Evans Avenue to Airport Parkway. It has hit a couple of snags along the way, but on last Monday Sept. 9, a resolution was introduced that takes the project a giant step forward. Here’s the resolution: 

A RESOLUTION SUPPORTING THE CITY OF CHEYENNE TO COMPLETE THE AVENUES GREENWAY CONNECTOR TRAIL BETWEEN EVANS AND AIRPORT PARKWAY AND SUPPLEMENT AVAILABLE WYDOT TAP GRANTS WITH 6TH PENNY TAX

“WHEREAS, the Avenues Greenway Connector Trail ranks number one on the public's preference to improve connectivity between the Eastridge and the Avenues neighborhoods; and

WHEREAS, this connectivity requires an amendment to the existing agreement with the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) to reallocate an existing Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) Grant to purchase land from the airport and extend the project schedule; and

WHEREAS, the City will reimburse WYDOT's right-of-way and aeronautics divisions for the land with the TAP Grant; and

WHEREAS, the City will apply for a $500,000 TAP Grant as its top priority in 2020 and commit to completing the project within the next five years; and

WHEREAS, the project meets all engineering safety and FAA criteria; and

WHEREAS, the total estimated cost for this project is between $750,000 and

$1,000,000, of which $500,000.00, if approved, will be provided through the WYDOT TAP Grant; and

WHEREAS, the required funding needed beyond the TAP Grant to complete the design and construction of the frail segment will be provided from 6th Penny Greenway funds.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF CHEYENNE, WYOMING, that: 1) the Governing Body of the City of Cheyenne, Wyoming, supports the reallocation of the current TAP Grant from construction to land acquisition for the purpose of completing this project; and 2) the Mayor is authorized to sign an application for the upcoming 2020 WYDOT TAP Grant; and 3) that the Mayor is authorized to execute an amendment to the existing agreement with WYDOT and coordinate with to supplement the awarded TAP Grant with 6th Penny Greenway funds.”

To put it in simple terms: Based upon the 2017 sixth-penny ballot sales tax measure, the Avenues Greenway Connector ranks highly as a preferred alternate route to Pershing Avenue. Developing safe and accessible alternate routes that parallel major east-west vehicle corridors is an important objective of the bicycle master plan.  

This short corridor ranks highly as a desired alternate route. It would provide a safe travel corridor between the Eastridge neighborhood east of the cemetery and airport and The Avenues north of downtown to downtown destinations, including much safer access to Miller School. 

The Avenues Greenway will also link to the Airport Parkway and, we hope, eventually extend and connect to the Converse Greenway trail.

So what do we need from you as a community?

We are getting tripped up by the Federal Aviation Administration in Denver on two points:

1 – Getting an agreed-upon access easement at the Cheyenne airport.

2 – Market rate compensation for taking land out of “airport use.”

If anyone of you has a contact with the FAA or Wyoming Department of Transportation, we need you to put a bug in their ear. Or perhaps in the ear of our congressional delegation. Or in the ear of someone high up in state government. 

They need to hear that this connector is important to the community and has local support, both from the voters and in terms of financial commitment from city government.

But we can’t do this without them. 

Richard Johnson is a former City Council member from Ward 3 on Cheyenne’s east side.