ROCK SPRINGS – The Rock Springs Police Department seeks permission to apply for a grant that will partially pay for bulletproof vests while the Rock Springs Main Street/Urban Renewal Agency seeks permission to apply for a different grant to resurface a parking area on Pilot Butte Avenue.
The Rock Springs City Council will determine if it will support these requests and address other business during its meeting Tuesday night.
According to a letter from RSPD Chief Bill Erspamer to the Council, the grant will provide partial funding to replace expiring bulletproof vests, as well as purchase new armor for newly-hired officers.
Regarding the Rock Springs Main Street grant request, a letter from Main Street Manager Chad Banks states he wants to apply for a T-Mobile Hometown Grant to resurface the parking area between the 600 and 700 blocks of Pilot Butte Avenue.
“At the end of 2023, the Rock Springs Main Street/Urban Renewal Agency (URA) was selected as a pilot community for the Wyoming Main Street – Wyoming Blocks Program, receiving an accompanying grant of $30,000. This program allows us to focus on improvements for the 700 block of Pilot Butte by collaborating with the business and property owners in that area,” Banks wrote. “During meetings with them, the need for additional parking, the condition of the existing parking lot between the 600 and 700 blocks of Pilot Butte Avenue, and the desire for a community gathering space were highlighted.”
Banks wrote that the T-Mobile Grant, which awards up to a maximum of $50,000, requires no matching funding and would cover the costs associated with resurfacing the parking area and will allow the space to be used for neighborhood events and gatherings.
Additionally, the Council will hear a third and final reading of an ordinance that will change the name of a portion of Grant Street to Art Castillo Way.
The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at City Hall. The meeting is open to the public and will be streamed on the city’s Youtube Channel. A full agenda with supplemental documents can be found here.
