Basin Downtown Revitalization survey reveals residents’ desires for the town

By: 
BY BARBARA ANNE GREENE

Ben Levenger of RT Redevelopment was in Basin last week conducting a study about the revitalization of downtown Basin. 

The study was the result of a grant from the USDA through the Wyoming Business Council and Basin Area Chamber. As of Dec. 17, 153 surveys had been completed. Levenger thought a few might trickle in Friday. He said that the number of surveys received was good, especially for a town the size of Basin. 

One thing that came through was that residents want additional family-friendly dining, date-night dining and more retail establishments.

In addition to the surveys, Levenger met with stakeholders, including town employees, the public, businesses and the chamber. The consistent message from those meetings was residents want to retain the small-town charm and safety. 

The Basin Town Council, mayor, office staff, chamber president and town resident Ken Fink received the preliminary recommendations at town hall and virtually on Dec. 17.  The group was tasked with reviewing the recommendations and preparing a priority order for implementation. The priority order is to be provided to the consultant by the end of January. At that time, the report will be finalized and delivered to the town. 

When asked what insight RT got from the survey and meetings, Levenger said, “The insight I can share is that the Town of Basin is a driven and resilient community that desires to improve the quality of life for residents. The town is also fortunate to have a strong set of amenities that meet necessity services within the downtown corridor (i.e. grocery store, post office, restaurant, pharmacy, etc.)”