Armory Park, Bighorn Canyon among chamber topics

A series of speakers provided updates on their respective areas of responsibility during an open mic format at the December 18 Lovell Area Chamber of Commerce general membership luncheon.
Jed Nebel, town administrator, said Phase II of the Armory Park reconstruction project is happening.
The reconstruction will include a walking path, volleyball court and outdoor amphitheater, as well as redoing the irrigation system and landscaping. Nebel also discussed the possibility of a town hall remodel.
The Town of Lovell is working with an engineering firm to look at grant opportunities on how they could remodel town hall. Nebel said that grant opportunities look hard to come by but are a possibility. Finally, Nebel discussed the possibility of starting an outdoor recreation group in the area to support activities like hunting, mountain biking and hiking.
The Lovell-Kane Area Museum has been doing guided tours, museum board president Karen Spragg said. Each guided tour the museum does is a day trip and requires a small donation. She has done about six trips. The Big Horn Basin Association of Museums is holding their meeting next year in Lovell on March 21 at the museum.
Schools in Lovell have a new school calendar, said Doug Hazen, Big Horn County School District #2 superintendent. The semester ends when Christmas break starts, which is different from before, so that the semester ends before break. That way, there isn’t a short period after break when there are classes.
Hazen also discussed work studies high school students are doing. For example, the construction crew built a tiny house. Also, Bret George, vocational teacher, started a new CDL and large machinery course.
Matt Davidson, Big Horn County School District #1 superintendent, said the district is in the second year of helping seniors transition to life after high school with a senior studies class. The class focuses on life skills, budgeting, history and minor vehicle repairs.
“It is quite positive. All of the seniors get an opportunity to job shadow,” he said.
At Rocky Mountain Elementary, Davidson said, the school is getting an HVAC remodel next summer. Finally, he mentioned that the elementary school choir gave a nice performance.
Christy Fleming, Chief of Interpretation for the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, was unavailable to attend, but an email she had written was read in her place. The visitor center will be closed December 31 through January 2. Normal hours in 2024 will be Tuesday through Saturday 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
She also said the visitor center will be getting a new front desk in January that will have museum exhibit space. The bookstore will be closed during construction starting the week of January 8, and the interpretive staff will be working from the entryway during that time.
Fleming said Bighorn Canyon is taking applications for the park artist in residence program through January 31 and urged those in attendance to contact her if they know anyone who might be interested. She noted the presence of artist in residence Traci Brimhall in town.
She said the park staff will be working with the Town of Lovell and Lovell Elementary School fifth graders for the Arbor Day poster contest and event in April and is working on something fun for Junior Ranger Day in April, depending on staffing availability.
She listed winter/spring projects as new picnic tables in the park and four improved sites at the Horseshoe Bend campground and new fencing to replace the fence line that got washed out in the June flood, including fencing along the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range boundary. She thanked the Pryor Mountain Wild Mustang Center and the BLM for their assistance with the fence project.
Chamber manager Linda Morrison also spoke about how exited she is about the Mustang Guide tourism and relocation publication currently being produced with an expanded number of pages planned for 2024. She also spoke about the collaborative effort with Greybull, Basin and Big Horn County to promote the county as a tourism destination through the Wyoming Office of Tourism travel planning guide.