Thermopolis hosts UW students

Last Thursday during the Thermopolis-Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce meeting, Executive Director Meri Ann Rush reported on the recent Live Local, Work Local tour, which saw University of Wyoming students in the community to highlight what’s available for them after graduation. Rush was surprised by the number of students who are petroleum engineers, and how few were in medical.

The chamber also had a panel to visit with the students during lunch to help them understand they can make a living in Wyoming and it doesn’t have to be in Cheyenne or Jackson. The students were here for six hours and Rush hopes the next tour is longer as six hours was not enough to highlight everything in town.

There was an update from the Christmas Committee. Rush said there has been a lot of work on the decorations, and almost $1,000 has been donated for new ornaments. The Christmas schedule is being finalized, and Santa will be coming to town Nov. 24. There will also be a window decorating contest and lighting contest, with judging for the lights on Dec. 17.

Rush noted there was some concern that the numbers for visitors and inquiries were going down because the number of walk-ins at the chamber office was decreasing, and pointed out people are communicating more online. Beginning Oct. 22, emails were monitored and the office received 574 within a week. She added she has also received several text messages.

She also plans to add website visits to the statistics, pointing out the number of users to the site are up by 200 compared to this time last year. She plans to make the site more of a priority and keep it updated more regularly.

The Chamber Banquet, which is March 23, 2019, was discussed. This year’s speaker, Craig Johnson, has been secured and letters have gone out to vendors for food and drink. The banquet will be something of a birthday party as well, since the chamber was incorporated Feb. 4, 1919.

Rush said that though the chamber’s centennial is incorporated into the banquet, she would like the chamber to think of activities that can be done through the year to celebrate the milestone.

Phil Scheel reported the Hot Springs County Commissioners are trying to figure out what needs to be done with Black Mountain Road, as it’s paved but not very good. The commission has been working on the road for the past six years, he noted, and it is the only paved road in the county that heads east. The reality, he said, is with the costs of repaving or redoing the road it is more feasible to turn it back to a gravel road.

Scheel also reported the fair building has been reinsulated and repainted, and new sand has been put in the indoor arena.

The chamber is changing the end-meeting reports that come in a bit, rotating which executive officers and board members give reports. This month, Board President Deb Tudor shared the idea that choosing to be positive will help determine how we live our lives and she hoped everyone left the meeting with smiles in their hearts. Board member Barb Heinze said she firmly believes Thermopolis is the best town in the nation, and she shares this with her customers. The majority of people, she said, always comment on how nice Thermopolis residents are, and this is something we do naturally.

As a community, Heinze said, we do a great job with being nice to the people who visit, but we also need to remember to be nice with each other.

Also at the meeting, Worland Chamber Director Cathy Orchard and Terry Livingston, a chamber member from Worland, were present simply to observe. The meeting was also a first for Jackson Reed, who is the middle school representative for the board.