Powell is getting a new senior center, Cody a revamped gathering place and Meeteetse a new trash truck after voters approved a new $19.3 million tax.

Across Park County, 6,596 voters (56.2%) agreed to temporarily raise the local sales tax rate from 4% to 5% to fund the set of government projects. Another 5,138 residents (43.8%) opposed the measure, according to unofficial results.

Support was particularly strong in the Powell area, where there’s been a yearslong push to build a new senior center. The measure approved Tuesday includes $7.9 million for the project.

Steve Martin, the chairman of the nonprofit organization that oversees the Powell Senior Center, described the passage of the tax as a relief after multiple attempts to find other sources of funding fell through.

“People asked me, if this didn’t come out the way we wanted, what was the next step? I said, we do not have one … We’ve been through this road for so long — eight-nine years,” Martin said. “And so, yes, it is a super relief, and to see that the people felt and knew that there was a need there.”

He and other center leaders say their current facility on North Gilbert Street is outdated and too small for the area’s growing population of seniors.

The new city-owned, center-run facility will be constructed on South Fair Street near the American Legion baseball fields. Martin said it’s “going to be a big bonus for the seniors of Powell.”

Powell Mayor John Wetzel was similarly pleased that the new center is moving forward.

“That dang thing’s been on their [center leaders’] plate for eight years and on our plate for quite a while to try and figure out … how to get it across the finish line,” he said, “and yeah, it’s exciting.”

Over in Cody, Mayor Lee Ann Reiter was also enthused by voters’ passage of the tax, which includes a $9.8 million renovation of the Cody Auditorium. 

The downtown facility is used for a wide range of events and the planned revamp could enable it to hold more conventions. The planned work includes substantially upgraded bathrooms, the removal of asbestos, a basement remodel that will make the space much more functional, upgrades to the electrical infrastructure, audio-visual equipment, HVAC systems and fire suppression systems. 

“... we’re excited to roll up our sleeves to preserve an historic landmark building that will serve our community for generations to come,” Reiter said in a Wednesday statement.

She also celebrated Powell’s efforts to better serve its seniors with a new center and Meeteetse’s work to “secure much-needed municipal equipment that might otherwise be out of reach.”

The Town of Meeteetse will be receiving $1.578 million to purchase a new trash truck and renovate, upgrade and improve its senior center, swimming pool and visitor center.

In her statement, Reiter also congratulated “the citizens of Powell, Meeteetse, and Cody for putting your leadership to work to help you make your municipalities a better place to live.”

She expressed hope that all county residents will benefit from the planned projects.

The unofficial results from Tuesday’s election showed that not all residents were supportive of the new tax. Among the county’s 23 precincts, voters in nine of them — on the North and South forks, in Clark, in parts of rural Cody, in rural Meeteetse, in the Garland/Frannie area and in Crandall/Sunlight — did not approve of the tax.

The most opposition came south of Meeteetse, where only 30.9% of voters backed the tax; Clark followed at 34.9% support.

In contrast, the tax saw particularly strong support within the City of Powell, where 70.8% of voters said yes. Residents in the rural areas around Powell also were strong backers, with about 62.7% support.

Within the City of Cody, support sat at 58%.

Though a date has yet to be determined, the sales tax increase will most likely take effect in April. It’s expected to take somewhere around two years to collect the full $19,278,000.