About the Special Use Excise Tax: Updating the Cody Auditorium

This November, voters will decide whether or not to implement a 1% local sales and use Specific Purpose Excise Tax (SPET). This tax would sunset after funds are raised for the special use it is designated for.

The resolution Park County will vote on can be found here. A little over $19 million is being asked to fund projects in Cody, Powell, and Meeteetse. Cody is asking for nearly half of the amount to bring the Cody Auditorium back to life. Powell seeks just under $8 million to update the Powell Senior Center, and Meeteetse looks for slightly over $1.5 million to purchase a sanitation truck, upgrade their Senior Center, Swimming Pool Facilities, and the Visitor Center. If passed, the tax is estimated to last about 2.5 years.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the Cody Auditorium.

Cody Auditorium

The goal is for this funding to bring the auditorium back into shape so it will last for the next 100 years and beyond, supporting generations of gatherings.

In Cody, gathering is part of our identity and, arguably, our strength. With often around 100 events each week on the community calendar, we need places to gather. One of those places has been the Cody Auditorium. Built in 1941 after the community dance hall, Wolfville Hall, burned down in 1940, it has hosted generations of gatherings

Being on the corner of Beck and 13th Street, it is the largest event facility directly in downtown.

Priorities of the Project

Over the years, various repairs have been needed. The City can continue to address one small portion of this at a time, but what evaluations show is that the remodel needs this level of funding to address the priorities:

• Remediation of asbestos (ceiling and floor tiles),
• Bringing the bathrooms to ADA compliance,
• An elevator for ADA access
• Updating the auditorium itself – new flooring, remove the dropped ceiling to restore the wood arches, and remove the storage units along the sides. New AV upgrades would also better address acoustics.

The Cody Club Room would also be addressed as part of this project. As for the basement, while it is lower on the priority list, it is hoped the budget will allow them to gut and reconfigure the basement into classrooms and storage rooms.

Gallery of Renderings:

More on the Details

Asbestos Remediation and ADA Compliance

Anyone who has toured the Auditorium understands how much asbestos remediation is needed for both the floor and ceiling tiles. The dropped ceiling likely covers much more than is visible now.

The bathrooms are far from ADA-compliant, though there is one in the back. The ramp leading to the Cody Club Room would be removed, and the front of the building would be set farther out toward the street. Bathrooms would fill in on both sides. This change would also mean that an elevator would be required for ADA access to the Cody Club Room.

Wood Flooring

The wood floor in the auditorium has been sanded and refinished so many times over the years that it has reached the nails, preventing them from being sanded and refinished again.

Proposed improvements

On the City’s website page dedicated to information about this project, the City lists proposed improvements. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Restroom expansion and improvements
• ADA accessibility improvements, including vertical access
• Structural stabilization and improvements
• Lobby and circulation improvements
• Environmental remediation, as necessary
• Flooring
• Electrical system upgrades
• HVAC system upgrades
• Kitchen upgrades
• Basement improvements and activation for expanded community use

Sessions Held to Learn More and Get a Tour

The best way to decide how you will vote on this issue is to see exactly what shape the Auditorium is in right now in person and have the opportunity to ask questions. The City will hold sessions at the auditorium and one at the library to go through the evaluation and initial thoughts on renovations. The first was held on September 9, and there are four more to come:

• September 24 – Cody Library, 5:30 PM
• October 8 – Cody Auditorium, 5:30 PM
• October 13 – Cody Auditorium, 7:00 PM
• October 28 – Cody Auditorium, 5:30 PM

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