JACKSON, Wyo. — In a packed auditorium at the Teton County Library, Jackson Town Council passed a motion four-to-one on Dec. 15 to provide $1.2 million from the Capital Fund to build a dedicated female locker room and rebuild the grandstands in the Snow King Sports & Events Center. The motion was made by Councilor Devon Viehman and seconded by Councilor Kevin Regan, with Mayor Arne Jorgensen voting against.
Andrew Brigham, board member of the nonprofit Center Management Inc. (CMI), stated that the locker rooms as they exist today are not Title IX compliant, which prohibits discrimination in any education program receiving federal funding.
Slides presented to the Council stated that the current locker rooms “do not provide safety or privacy for skaters changing their clothes” and the “grandstands are well past their expected useful life, rickety [and] in need of major repairs and replacement.”
Based on the presentation, construction would occur between April and August of 2026.
Public comment was overwhelmingly supportive. Resident Nicole Gill said in a comment: “Privacy, safety and a comfortable environment are not just nice to have. They are essential for the girls’ confidence, well-being and continued participation.”
“In our state, most girls of high school age play on coed teams,” Girls Player Development Director for Wyoming Hockey John Morgan began in his comment. “[The girls do not] have the opportunity to have their own locker room and are forced to change and get ready for their games in hallways, in bathrooms, rooms otherwise not usually considered locker rooms.”
Councilors Jonathan Schechter and Alyson Spery expressed some concern over costs, given that Brigham was requesting to use the funds from the 2026 fiscal year budget, which is currently estimated to have $8 million remaining by the end of the fiscal year: June 30, 2026. During discussion, it was presented to push the request to be included in the 2027 budget, but the cost of the project would increase by approximately $500,000, according to slides provided by CMI.
A majority of capital funding comes from sales taxes for the Town of Jackson. The Capital Fund was established for projects like water, sewer, facilities, streets and all other infrastructure.
In closing, Mayor Jorgensen expressed that he would have voted yes for the project in Fiscal Year 2027, and that he was excited about the community involvement and encouraged people to attend more meetings discussing budget, rather than pushing for budget amendments.
“When we talk about how we’re maintaining the roads that everyone in this room uses to get to the ice skating rink,” Mayor Jorgensen said, “we don’t get rooms filled with people like this. … I’m just asking that you show up at some of these other meetings, because that’s when we need to make these decisions in the bigger picture. That’s what our budget process is for.”
