ROCK SPRINGS — The question of why a Rock Springs City Councilman believes Downtown Rock Springs “sucks” grew into a discussion about the challenges and work being done in the area during the Rock Springs City Council meeting Tuesday,

Former Councilman and current Rock Springs URA Board Member Tim Robinson approached the Council and commented on a recent video Councilman Rick Milonas posted to his Facebook page, saying he and Milonas share a number of views on the city and Sweetwater County.

“The biggest thing he talked about that I absolutely agree with him on is the people. It’s the people who make our community what it is,” Robinson said.

Robinson’s agreements with Milonas end when it comes to their views on Downtown Rock Springs however. 

“The specific wording that really bothered me was that ‘downtown sucks,’” Robinson said.

Robinson asked three questions of Milonas and the Council. His first question was what specifically about downtown sucks, the second being what solutions has Milonas offered or plans to offer to make Downtown “not suck,” and the third being what has Milonas done since beginning his term on the Council to help Rock Springs Downtown.

“Well, let’s just compare Downtown Rock Springs to Downtown Evanston, maybe Downtown Laramie, maybe Downtown Cheyenne, Sheridan, ” Milonas said. “How does it compare to those boys?” 

Milonas said a person just needs to look around Bunning Park to see problems in the area. He then criticized Councilman Robb Zotti for being on the Council for 20 years without doing anything before being told by Mayor Max Mickelson to not attack other Council members. 

“It just sucks, I mean, what are you going to say? Look around,” Milonas said.

Milonas’ answer to what his solutions for Downtown’s alleged problems is to get a new mayor and Council members installed. As far as what he’s done so far, Milonas said he fought to keep the Civic Center open and worked to expose wasteful spending, citing the city bringing goats to the Bitter Creek area to eat away grass and shrubs as a means of flood mitigation.

The follow-up question Robinson posed to Milonas involved a rumor Robinson heard that Milonas allegedly said, if elected mayor, the first thing he would do would be to disband the Rock Springs Urban Renewal Agency. Milonas denied the accusation.

When asked what he would do with the URA if elected, Milonas said he doesn’t see a lot of urban renewal occurring and would want to discuss how the agency would renew urban areas within its jurisdiction. 

After Milonas finished,  Zotti said the main problem the URA faces is with building owners neglecting their properties. 

“We’ve got a number of older buildings in this town, that have not been updated, not been upkept that creates problems,” Zotti said. “Because of the neglect over the years, there’s a lot of building codes they have to come up and follow, there’s fire code, and it does become quite expensive.”

Whether it’s a facade changing, lighting, a banner, those are the things that help the downtown area.

Rock Springs City Councilman Eric Bingham

Zotti said those codes were enacted for public safety and when owners don’t keep their properties maintained, they get angry when someone wants to use their building and can’t because it will be expensive to renovate.

“In my mind, it’s a failure of that owner to properly maintain and keep the building up to code, as they should,” Zotti said.

He said there are a number of out-of-state owners that have bought buildings and forgotten about them, and said the URA and city have made efforts and are trying to do what they can to help create public involvement Downtown.

Robinson said he agrees with Zotti’s assessment of Downtown Rock Spring’s challenges, and said initiatives like the URA’s Golden Broom award, where businesses are highlighted for keeping dust and debris clear from their shopfronts. He encouraged Milonas and others to take a close look at what has improved in the downtown area. Robinson also remained critical of Milonas’ language when talking about the area.

“I think it’s very hurtful to the 156, or more, businesses that are currently located in Downtown Rock Springs,” Robinson said.

Councilman Eric Bingham also responded to the question, saying the downtown flood plain sucks. He said continued work on the Bitter Creek Restoration Project and getting properties out of the flood plain would help facilitate growth in the area. Bingham said funding secured by Rep. Harriet Hageman will help in that effort, but also mentioned smaller things occurring in the area that help improve it.

“Whether it’s a facade changing, lighting, a banner, those are the things that help the downtown area,” Bingham said.,