ROCK SPRINGS –– All eyes are on the Rock Springs Civic Center prior to a town hall meeting about the building April 15.
The meeting will take place at 5:30 p.m. April 15, at City Hall, prior to the 7 p.m. Rock Springs City Council meeting. The city’s parks and recreation department is also hosting a survey asking residents their views of the department and the civic center.
A needs assessment conducted by consulting agency BerryDunn and released at the end of 2024 claims the civic center has several facility and infrastructure issues that impact access, safety and security for the building. The report cites the building’s age and deferred maintenance as the cause of its problems. The original part of the center was built in 1925 as the Union Pacific Coal Company’s Old Timer building and is eligible to be placed on the the National Register of Historic Places. The civic center originally opened in 1978.
BerryDunn cites several structural issues with the civic center. These issues include repairs and replacement of the center’s parking lot; the building’s roof needing replacement and repairs; the exterior walls being in poor condition; carpeting, tile and wall materials are worn and have deteriorated; the pool, pool deck, and locker rooms needing renovation and repairs; and poor Americans with Disabilities Act compliance on doors, signs, water fountains and toilet fixtures.
The Rock Springs Historic Preservation Commission is urging the city to contact the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality’s Abandoned Mine Lands division to determine if the civic center is eligible for AML funding and remediation before making a decision about the center. According to the historic preservation commission, historical consultant A. Dudley Gardner believes the issues reported in the city’s civic center feasibility study stem from mine subsidence. Issues related to subsidence exist in the area near Washington Elementary School and the Chinatown park. The commission said former Rock Springs Mayor Carl Demshar has also reached out to Mayor Max Mickelson and offered to share his experience working with AML.
