Central Park gets a new name

The soon-to-be recreational area next to Old Stoney will no longer be called “Central Park”, a name that was chosen by the Sundance City Council partly for its quirky humor and partly to honor the memory of the administrative building that once stood on the site.

However, said Clerk-Treasurer Kathy Lenz, Kelley Savage and the company she works for, Norris Designs, feel strongly that the name would be a mistake. On the advice of the firm, the council has opted to go with “Sundance Square” instead.

Norris Designs was awarded the design bid in November and has been moving forward with the process since that time, Lenz said. She presented a selection of possible signs Savage has designed for the park entrance, which include alternative suggestions for the park’s name.

Savage’s argument, said Lenz, is that the name “Central Park” is not as meaningful to visitors as it would be to residents. Lenz shared that Norris Designs believes the name of the city is appealing in itself and should be included.

Describing the firm as “passionate” about changing the name, Lenz asked council members for their thoughts. After looking over the options, the council felt that “Sundance Square” flows well and is appropriate and would likely go down well with the community as it was one of the options that received the highest number of votes during the survey process.

Funding hold-up

Lenz also reported to the council last week that there is a hiccup with one of the two grants that had been secured for the park project. The funds from the Wyoming Business Council have been received and are being used for design, she said, but the $385,000 from the Land and Water Conservation Fund is in limbo.

According to Lenz, the latter grant is federal and something in its wording caught the eye of the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office as being against the state’s constitution. Negotiations are ongoing, she said, and the office is being proactive because the issue affects more than just Sundance and “there are many, many grants that are being held up on this.”

As it’s not permissible to expend the money before it arrives, said Lenz, the city cannot in good conscience go to bid and award a contract to construct the park. The construction phase will need to wait until the contract for the grant has been signed.