That sounds like it is going to be really nice. Are the roosts going to be attached to the wall so you don't have to work around supports?
The Front Porch Swing
- Thread starter Beekissed
- Start date
Drooling, drooling......
You bet! I've put up with enough obstacles in the "temporary coop" that I have made a list of "musts" for this one. Everything will be effortless in case we go out of town and need someone to peek in on the chickens and to make my chores more efficient.
I should add that in the veeeeeery unlikely event that I suddenly give up chickens... the coop will still be functional as a nice shed or housing for other small livestock. I'm all about multiple uses for everything.
I should add that in the veeeeeery unlikely event that I suddenly give up chickens... the coop will still be functional as a nice shed or housing for other small livestock. I'm all about multiple uses for everything.
Okay, can I brag a little bit? Yesterday afternoon was amazing. Along with our current councilmembers, I took part in the ribbon cutting for Cowley's new Splash Park. Now, the water park has actually been open for a few weeks, but it was decided to hold the ribbon cutting over Cowley's Pioneer Days, when so many folks are in town for the festivities.
When I was on the council we envisioned a wonderful new park for Cowley. The dream was already taking shape in the form a Legion baseball field, and a couple of years after that opened we were able to get lights installed. The baseball field was our state senator, Ray Peterson's, baby for over 15 years. He would take his weekends off and come home to work on the field himself, pouring concrete for the concession stands, leveling the field, helping all of the others in the community build the stands, and pushing, always pushing, for his "field of dreams." Ray is our mayor's little brother. For the first time (as of this week) Legion baseball games can now be held at night, putting Cowley on the short list of communities which can host tournament play. The next phase of the project was the Splash Park. We planned and busted our hineys to get this through, and construction started last fall, while I was still serving. It is now complete.
The Splash Park is a fantastic addition to the million dollar grant we received to restore Cowley's historic Log Gym, and this is what that looks like today after restoration. We had two options - demolish it or restore it. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. It was a mess - many of the huge support beams were rotted at the bottom, the floor was warped, there were holes in the sides of the building where chinking had fallen out, the roof was a mess, and it usually had more bats in it than people. There was no insulation, and the heating system was antiquated, inefficient, and inadequate. There was no air conditioning, and in summer it was sweltering hot. But our council didn't see all of that - we saw this. And we got it done with the help of our grant writer and the Wyoming Business Council, Wyoming Historic Preservation, and the State Lands and Investments Program. I consider it to be the high point of my time on the town council!
Our mayor and visionary, Joel Peterson. He is a man with big dreams and he knows how to take action to see those dreams through. I was proud to serve Cowley with him at the helm.
L - R: Cowley's Park Supervisor Dave Banks. Our two members of the grant committee who pushed these projects through as our advocates in Cheyenne, Cynthia Cloud, State Auditor, and Karen Fate, Senior Grand and Loan Specialist for the Wyoming Business Council. Behind Karen are current town councilmen Dexter Woodis and Rob Johnson. Then Mayor Peterson, and former mayor Roland Simmons.
In this photo are Karen, Dexter, Rob,Joel and Roland. Next to Roland in the green shirt is current councilman Nick Sponsel, former councilman Dennis Woodward, and former councilwoman me.
After the speechifying, the ribbon cutting by Carrie and turning on the water features by Sandy, the gate was opened and the true heroes of Cowley started streaming in - the kids who believed in us the entire time.
The water park and the lights on the field mark the end of Phase one. Construction on phase two has begun. There will be a giant sledding hill behind the entire complex. It will be an enormous curved shape and serve as a natural ampitheater in summer, overlooking the new T-ball fields we are putting in and the playground equipment. There will also be barbeque grills and picnic areas. In winter a liner will be laid out over the Legion field and we'll flood it, forming a huge ice skating rink, lit up for nighttime skating and the baseball concession stand will serve hot chocolate.
So how does a town as small as Cowley support all of these facilities when our population is only a hair over 600? The Log Gym is already totally self sustaining. There are cardio workout stations where the old locker rooms used to be, and they are always busy. The schools use the basketball court. Regulation hoops are on the east and west side, and on the north and south sides the floor is marked for smaller sized courts with lower baskets. There is a jumbo TV with a sound system and businesses rent it for presentations. Community programs are held here. The perimeter of the floor is marked with as a walking track, and so many laps equal a mile. There is weight lifting equipment in the upper loft. Exercise classes are held during the weekdays. The entire facility can be rented for weddings, dances, etc, just as it used to be in the gym's heyday. And one family membership to the gym gets free admission to the entire facility, the swimming pool (a heated, outdoor pool), and the Splash Park The gym opened over a year ago and it's never empty. It draws people from all the surrounding communities as well, those without memberships who use the facilities on an ala cart basis. And the gym is already operating totally in the black.
Today I took Katie to the Splash Park for the first time. She rated it a solid 10, as did one of the other families there using it. They are from Cody, 50 miles from here one way. I asked them how they'd heard about our little Splash Park. The mom said, "Half of Cody is talking about what a great place this is for little ones. We had to come down and see, and we'll definitely be using it a lot."
Who says life in a small town has to be boring?
Here is a link to the Wyoming Business Council's page about Cowley's accomplishments. It's a little heavy on the baseball field side, but it outlines the grants we have received and what we have done with them.
http://www.pitchengine.com/pitches/28b438e3-0765-4b30-b34a-ad34a20199f8
When I was on the council we envisioned a wonderful new park for Cowley. The dream was already taking shape in the form a Legion baseball field, and a couple of years after that opened we were able to get lights installed. The baseball field was our state senator, Ray Peterson's, baby for over 15 years. He would take his weekends off and come home to work on the field himself, pouring concrete for the concession stands, leveling the field, helping all of the others in the community build the stands, and pushing, always pushing, for his "field of dreams." Ray is our mayor's little brother. For the first time (as of this week) Legion baseball games can now be held at night, putting Cowley on the short list of communities which can host tournament play. The next phase of the project was the Splash Park. We planned and busted our hineys to get this through, and construction started last fall, while I was still serving. It is now complete.
The Splash Park is a fantastic addition to the million dollar grant we received to restore Cowley's historic Log Gym, and this is what that looks like today after restoration. We had two options - demolish it or restore it. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. It was a mess - many of the huge support beams were rotted at the bottom, the floor was warped, there were holes in the sides of the building where chinking had fallen out, the roof was a mess, and it usually had more bats in it than people. There was no insulation, and the heating system was antiquated, inefficient, and inadequate. There was no air conditioning, and in summer it was sweltering hot. But our council didn't see all of that - we saw this. And we got it done with the help of our grant writer and the Wyoming Business Council, Wyoming Historic Preservation, and the State Lands and Investments Program. I consider it to be the high point of my time on the town council!
Our mayor and visionary, Joel Peterson. He is a man with big dreams and he knows how to take action to see those dreams through. I was proud to serve Cowley with him at the helm.
L - R: Cowley's Park Supervisor Dave Banks. Our two members of the grant committee who pushed these projects through as our advocates in Cheyenne, Cynthia Cloud, State Auditor, and Karen Fate, Senior Grand and Loan Specialist for the Wyoming Business Council. Behind Karen are current town councilmen Dexter Woodis and Rob Johnson. Then Mayor Peterson, and former mayor Roland Simmons.
In this photo are Karen, Dexter, Rob,Joel and Roland. Next to Roland in the green shirt is current councilman Nick Sponsel, former councilman Dennis Woodward, and former councilwoman me.
After the speechifying, the ribbon cutting by Carrie and turning on the water features by Sandy, the gate was opened and the true heroes of Cowley started streaming in - the kids who believed in us the entire time.
The water park and the lights on the field mark the end of Phase one. Construction on phase two has begun. There will be a giant sledding hill behind the entire complex. It will be an enormous curved shape and serve as a natural ampitheater in summer, overlooking the new T-ball fields we are putting in and the playground equipment. There will also be barbeque grills and picnic areas. In winter a liner will be laid out over the Legion field and we'll flood it, forming a huge ice skating rink, lit up for nighttime skating and the baseball concession stand will serve hot chocolate.
So how does a town as small as Cowley support all of these facilities when our population is only a hair over 600? The Log Gym is already totally self sustaining. There are cardio workout stations where the old locker rooms used to be, and they are always busy. The schools use the basketball court. Regulation hoops are on the east and west side, and on the north and south sides the floor is marked for smaller sized courts with lower baskets. There is a jumbo TV with a sound system and businesses rent it for presentations. Community programs are held here. The perimeter of the floor is marked with as a walking track, and so many laps equal a mile. There is weight lifting equipment in the upper loft. Exercise classes are held during the weekdays. The entire facility can be rented for weddings, dances, etc, just as it used to be in the gym's heyday. And one family membership to the gym gets free admission to the entire facility, the swimming pool (a heated, outdoor pool), and the Splash Park The gym opened over a year ago and it's never empty. It draws people from all the surrounding communities as well, those without memberships who use the facilities on an ala cart basis. And the gym is already operating totally in the black.
Today I took Katie to the Splash Park for the first time. She rated it a solid 10, as did one of the other families there using it. They are from Cody, 50 miles from here one way. I asked them how they'd heard about our little Splash Park. The mom said, "Half of Cody is talking about what a great place this is for little ones. We had to come down and see, and we'll definitely be using it a lot."
Who says life in a small town has to be boring?
Here is a link to the Wyoming Business Council's page about Cowley's accomplishments. It's a little heavy on the baseball field side, but it outlines the grants we have received and what we have done with them.
http://www.pitchengine.com/pitches/28b438e3-0765-4b30-b34a-ad34a20199f8
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You should be proud of your town, your people, and the work YOU did to make this happen! Congrats.
NICE COOP Blooie! Boy do YOUR chickens have it good
That is a fabulous building. And such a nice water park for the kids. You have every right to crow about the things you believed in and pushed for.
Thanks, Bruce and everyone. She's an incredible building, but her time for harboring winged creatures - mammal or bird - are hopefully over!! The one thing I wish this photo could convey is the size of this place. It was built by hand, logs hauled down from Yellowstone by wagon and others from up in the Pryor mountains. A lot of community volunteer labor has gone into the gym over the years, including a major roof replacement.NICE COOP Blooie! Boy do YOUR chickens have it good
That is a fabulous building. And such a nice water park for the kids. You have every right to crow about the things you believed in and pushed for.
Bruce, I know you love all things that have to do with construction and older buildings, so I found this link to the gym in case you'd like to peruse it.
http://www.lovellchronicle.com/2013/07/log-gym-construction-a-remarkable-feat/
Who, me?
Very cool, love the detail. Found this funny:
Des Wilson was to put the chinking between the logs for his pay, but he substituted his son, Ted, to do the work, but Des received the pay.
I hope he was working on something else instead of parking his butt in the shade and watching his kid work.
- Nov 1, 2014
- 144
- 15
- 63
I found it funnier before I read past the son's name. I figured I had the answer to why there were gaps in the chinking...Who, me?
Very cool, love the detail. Found this funny:
Des Wilson was to put the chinking between the logs for his pay, but he substituted his son, Ted, to do the work, but Des received the pay.
I hope he was working on something else instead of parking his butt in the shade and watching his kid work.
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