Progress: Glenrock eyes development in a family-friendly community

The Town of Glenrock had a busy 2017. Large-scale renovations have taken place across town, and more are on the way to make Glenrock a more comfortable community for you and your family.
Some of those projected plans include:  A new pavilion, 3-on-3 basketball courts and dog area for Town Park, LED lights for South Rec Rodeo Arena, a north side infrastructure project, a sewer line retention wall and many more.
One of the most significant projects coming up this year is the walking path.
“This year we will be resubmitting our grants to get funding to expand our walking path,” Community Development Director Kasey Drummond said.
The plan is for the path to be accessible from anywhere in Glenrock, making everything in town within walking distance. Grant funding was sought after in 2017, and if the grant  monies are raised, the town can begin construction to extend the walking path east and west of the existing path, to make it accessible from all neighborhoods to every place in Glenrock. After the path is completed, Drummond hopes more funding can be obtained to build a large-scale addition stretching from Converse to Natrona County.
“Long range is a ‘Rails to Trails’ where Glenrock trail connects to the trail in Natrona County,” Drummond said. “That will be not only something that is unique to Wyoming, but something that will promote economic development for both communities as well.”
Promoting economic development is something the town is taking seriously these days. Creating a welcoming atmosphere to bring in businesses will make Glenrock a more substantial stakeholder in Wyoming’s economy.
Business Friendly
Organizations in Glenrock are working every day to bring business interests into town. The Glenrock Economic Development Corporation, a group of seven businesses and business owners in Glenrock, is looking to bring more money through various revenue streams, such as retail.
“Retail is a tough business here in Glenrock because of our proximity to Casper, but on the other hand it is also a pro,” Drummond said. “We can have a really unique store come into Glenrock that Casper doesn’t have, and we can be successful.”
GEDC wrote a strategic economic plan in 2016 focused on business expansion and retention, which is how Glenrock Up came into being.
Glenrock Up is a new group meeting quarterly to bring together business and community leaders in town.
“Getting to know them (local businesses) on a personal level and communicating with them,” Drummond said. “And establishing a business-friendly atmosphere not just for the citizens of Glenrock but with the individual business owners themselves.”

Family friendly
The days of summer may be longer, but they fly by quickly in Glenrock. Between summertime festivals and large-scale events such as Deer Creek Days and Oktoberfest, Glenrock strives to make every good time accessible for the whole family.
“We really focus on community events being very family oriented,” Drummond said. “Our schools are also very family oriented. . . our kids are very well supported by the community.”
Town sponsored festivals, such as, Glenrock’s Oktoberfest, promote festivities and entertainment for the children, from giant inflatables, to a carnival and a huge pumpkin patch, the kids are bound to have a great time.  Deer Creek Days is equally family friendly. For very area geared toward adult entertainment, there is a face painting area or inflatable playhouse open for the children to enjoy. The adults are not left out of entertainment. Not only do they have a wonderful time watching their children enjoy the festivities geared towards the family, but other festivities and concerts sponsored by the town as well as other organizations, provide a more adult theme of entertainment, yet are still youth friendly too.
Another piece of Glenrock’s family-friendly community stems from the five parks scattered throughout town.
“We have South Rec, Town Park, Pioneer Park, the Tot Lot Rookstool Park. . . there is a park located next to every neighborhood in town,” Drummond said. “I think it’s very important for children to feel safe, whether it is walking across the street or walking a couple of blocks to a park to go play.”
No matter who your family brings to any event in Glenrock, they are sure to have a good, safe time.

Schools
Converse County Schools District #2 has a wealth of students and teachers to support each other in every aspect of the community. Whether it be academic activities or sporting events, the pride of Glenrock can be seen donning purple clothes with school spirit.
“When one of our teams is going to state, there are people who don’t even have kids in the school, and they are going to watch those kids,” Drummond said. “I think it’s something special that Glenrock has.”
An entire story about Glenrock School District is featured in the education section.

Wonderful quality of life
The Town of Glenrock has succeeded in being a tight-knit community and a wonderful place to live.
“Our outdoor recreation is second to none,” Drummond said. “We have the opportunity of world-class fly fishing out on the Platte River.”
The lands surrounding Glenrock aren’t just for energy companies. The wilderness features unique animals and hunting opportunities only available in Wyoming.
Wyoming’s rich land is available for the traveler to take part in and explore the hunting and fishing opportunities available in Glenrock.
Antelope and Mule Deer particularly stand out as a highly populated species near Glenrock for hunting.
“The hunting is second to none, we have people from all over the world who come to Glenrock to go hunting,” Drummond said. “ In particular, the antelope hunting is a huge draw.”
For the avid outdoorsman, The Platte River running through Glenrock has exemplary fly fishing for rainbow brown and cutthroat trout, arctic grayling, cutbow-hybrids, catfish, walleye and more species.