Tuesday, February 3, 2026 |
Photo – Hanna Recreation Center – Bigfoot99 file photo
Hanna’s Carbon County Economic Development Corporation member expresses dissatisfaction with the town’s representation.
During the January 13th Hanna Town Council meeting, Hanna Fire Department volunteer Donna Pipher announced that she attended her first Carbon County Economic Development Corporation meeting, adding that she “didn’t get a lot out of it.” Pipher was appointed to represent the town on the Economic Development Corporation’s 15‑member board in October.
Supported by state and federal grants, local government contributions, and business membership dues, the Carbon County Economic Development Corporation works to attract new businesses, support existing employers, and promote economic growth throughout the county. Speaking at the January 13th meeting, Hanna representative Pipher said the organization appears to prioritize Rawlins ahead of the county’s less populated municipalities.
During her first meeting, Pipher said she learned she was not eligible to vote on Economic Development Corporation policy. The town representative said she plans to take the steps needed to become a voting member to help ensure that small towns, including Hanna, aren’t overlooked by the organization.
Last August, the Carbon County Economic Development Corporation partnered with the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality to create a redevelopment roadmap for Hanna’s shuttered recreation center. Built in the 1980s, when “coal was king” and the town was home to more than 3,000 residents, the Hanna Recreation Center offered a heated indoor pool, a weight room, a large gymnasium, and a racquetball court. With fewer than 700 residents now, the governing body closed the facility two years ago to avoid roughly $300,000 in yearly costs. Since then, the building has sat empty, gradually deteriorating in the wind and snow.
The state hired Cheyenne‑based Ayres Associates to create the redevelopment roadmap for the former recreation center. Speaking to the Hanna Town Council last August, Mike Scholl of Ayres Associates explained that the town had two options for the facility: repurpose the building or tear it down. However, neither alternative would be easy or cheap.
Scholl estimated that demolishing the Hanna Recreation Center will cost over $600,000.
Since that time, the Carbon County Economic Development Corporation has been searching for buyers for the former recreation center, but nothing has materialized yet.
At the January 13th Hanna Town Council meeting, Mayor Charlie George thanked Pipher for her work, noting that serving on any board requires a substantial time commitment.
