Worland withdraws from 'aspiring city' program

WORLAND — Acting on the recommendation from the Worland Board of Adjustment and Planning Commission (BAPC), the Worland City Council approved a motion to withdraw Worland from the Wyoming Main Street Program.

During Tuesday’s regular meeting, council member Dennis Koch, liaison to the BAPC, said the board reached consensus to pass on the program, which would allow another community to participate.

“They had a good start with Terry Sutherland, but they haven’t been able to fill his shoes,” Koch said.

He added that he agrees with the BAPC recommendation. “I would heartily agree with them. I’ve been going to meetings for several months. It’s talked about but nothing happens,” Koch said.

According to the Aug. 17 minutes from the BAPC, Chairman Scott Fritzler asked for a consensus on the program, noting that he felt Worland is not ready to continue with the program due to a lack of interest from the community to have someone take the lead.

The motion to withdraw from the program was approved on an 8-1 vote with Lisa Fernandez opposed.

BACKGROUND

Worland became a Wyoming Main Street aspiring community in April 2016. In May the BAPC began discussion options for the program, including withdrawal, with a year left to “graduate” from the program.

Ron Vanderpool of Five V Solutions, planning consultant at the time, told the BAPC at the May 18 meeting that Wyoming Main Street Program Manager Linda Klinck with the Wyoming Main Street Program is “anxiously waiting on what the city is going to do, whether they are going to pursue the Main Street program or they are going to back off.”

He said Worland was one of three cities granted aspiring community status but there had been 10 cities that applied. He said Klinck can transfer the aspiring community status to another city.

The city approved a resolution in 2015 as Worland began the process of applying to be an aspiring community, calling for the BAPC to establish a board and a director for the Worland Main Street aspiring community program.

Sutherland had been working on forming a board but one had not been formed before Sutherland resigned his position from the BAPC.

ASPIRING COMMUNITY

In an interview in June 2016, Klinck and Communications Director Ron Gullberg outlined the guidelines for Worland’s role as an aspiring community in the Wyoming Main Street Program. Last year was the first year for aspiring cities, previously, the Wyoming Main Street Program had two categories of affiliate and certified communities.

The category of an aspiring community was added as a new entry because so many communities weren’t ready but would benefit from the program.