FOR RELEASE:
January 12, 2006
For more information contact:

Shannon Stanfill, Community Facilities Grant and Loan Program Manager
Wyoming Business Council
Office: 307.777.2841

Tom Lacock, Wyoming Business Council
Office: 307.777.2834

Wyoming Business Council considers first Community Facilities grant applications

CHEYENNE – The Wyoming Business Council (WBC) Board of Directors met via conference call today to consider the first round of Community Facilities (CFP) grant applications.

Currently there is $7.5M available in the CFP program. This money was appropriated during the 2005 legislative session. Once the WBC board makes a recommendation, the projects will be sent to the State Land and Investment Board (SLIB) for final decision. The SLIB members will meet to review these recommendations Thursday, Feb. 2 at 8 a.m. The meeting will take place at the Herschler Building in Cheyenne.

The Wyoming Business Council board recommended the following Community Facilities Program projects for approval:

• The City of Evanston for $1,492,000 for the renovation and expansion of the East Elementary School for use by the Youth Opportunities Unlimited! (YOU!) along with the Youth Drug and Alcohol Court (YDAC). The project facility will ultimately house programs that will enhance quality of life in the community by providing a safe, educational, supervised environment for youth in the high risk out of school hours.
• The Town of Lovell for $1,339,053 for the renovation of the former water treatment plant into a community center. Using the community assessment (from 2000) and data gathered since, community leaders designed this facility to serve the following needs: 1) local community gatherings, 2) youth activities (Recreation District commitment) and 3) convention/training facility.
• The Town of Lyman for $957,655.90 for the renovation of a vacant Town-owned barn for adaptive re-use as a community center. The overall concept plan for the community center is to host a number of events that are currently held outside of the Bridger Valley because of lack of adequate facilities. The Town Council believes that pursuing this project is the first step of many to establish the necessary cooperative community spirit to move the Town into the survival mode. The renovation will allow for a much needed gathering place for weddings, birthdays, private parties, as well as other community events.
• The Town of Mills for $698,033.00 to renovate the recently vacated Old Mills Fire Hall. Gathering space in the Hall would be updated and renovations would convert the garage space into an additional meeting/event room. Past and present community surveys show a need for more available services. This project would not only provide a more suitable facility for the Mills Senior Center, it will serve as a community hall that is well-regarded, highly used, and economically feasible for other users.
• The Platte Valley Joint Powers Board for $1.5M to renovate and expand a decommissioned school in Saratoga. The project will utilize the current gymnasium facilities and add on community specified amenities of: multi-purpose meeting space, stage and theatre, two classrooms, two meeting rooms, offices and storage. The Center will provide unavailable facilities for cultural and artistic programs, civic and social events and indoor recreation for resident of all ages. In addition, the Center is a venue for community–building activities such as attracting young families, extending job-training opportunities, extending the hospitality season and enhancing current cottage industries.

The mission of the Wyoming Business Council is to facilitate the economic growth of Wyoming. For more information, please visit the Web site at www.wyomingbusiness.org.

###