Sixth-cent fix? City says historic bandshell needs repairs, ADA upgrades

CASPER, Wyo. — Casper’s historic Washington Park Bandshell, built in 1939, is needing renovation in several areas in order to reclaim full functionality, meet modern accessibility standards and expand its offerings, according to city officials.

“Lighting, audio, finishes, stage extensions, drainage, roof: Those are the primary components,” Casper Parks, Recreation and Public Facilities Director Zulima Lopez told members of the media at the venue on Oct. 2. “We need to improve the facility in order to activate the space and get it used more.”

Voters in the city of Casper are being asked to consider funding the $1.5 million for improvements with an optional sixth-cent sales tax this general election season. The proposal is one of eight capital projects for the city of Casper that voters will be asked to vote “yes” or “no” on. Only the projects approved by the majority would get funded. The tax would run for two years or just long enough to meet the sum total of approved projects.

ADA accessibility is another big component of the project. Lopez gestured to the wide field of turf and the single concrete path coming in from the east. Those who can’t park there and have wheelchairs and strollers are forced to push them through the turf to the stage. There also aren’t any ramps up to the stage, so older performers or those with disabilities have difficulty getting up to the stage, Lopez said.

The roof is also overdue for replacement, and the exterior needs a cosmetic refinish, but Lopez said the critical problem is related to the bandshell’s location in a stormwater retention zone.

“Right now, we have a lot of water infiltrating into the basement,” Lopez said. “We’ve had to tear out the sheet rock because the water invasion was so bad.”

That means the basement is essentially off-limits for storage, including for the equipment of the Casper Municipal Band, which plays every Thursday at the venue for free. The bandshell also hosts the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra’s Pops in the Park, and has recently hosted a one-day music festival and pinch-hit as venue for the Beartrap Summer Festival last August. For that event, they needed to bring out the stage extensions, which are kept at the cemetery now, Lopez said.

Overall, the venue draws up to 2,000 guests a year, according to the city. Lopez said a refinished basement could also mean expanding the venue’s offerings. Live theater, for example, would need the basement for a dressing room.

If voters approve the project, Lopez said that might strengthen the grant proposals the city is seeking for the multi-phase Washington Park Revival Project.