ROCK SPRINGS – The Wyoming Business Council Board of Directors will consider six Business Ready Community (BRC) grant and loan requests during its May 25-26 meeting.

The Business Council board meets the afternoon of May 25 for a tour of Rock Springs highlighting economic development projects, including those completed with the help of BRC funding. The board will visit the Rock Springs Chamber Visitor Complex, the Rock Springs-Sweetwater County Regional Airport, the Bunning Transfer Station and the Broadway Theater.

Board members will reconvene at 8 a.m., May 26 in the Broadway Theater, located at 618 Broadway, to consider BRC and Community Development Block Grant requests and vote on proposed BRC rule changes.

The State Loan and Investment Board will make final decisions on BRC project requests at its 8 a.m. meeting on June 16 in Room 1699 of the Herschler Building in Cheyenne.

If unable to attend the May 26 meeting in person, please register for the live video feed at ttp://bit.ly/27vDB0e.

Those who wish to listen via telephone may call 855-459-2716.

If you wish to speak during the meeting, please call Executive Assistant Linda Hollings at 307-777-2803 or send email to wbcmeeting@wyo.gov prior to 4 p.m. on May 24. Please state your name, the topic about which you would like to speak and the phone number from which you will call so you can be unmuted at the appropriate time.

Board meeting materials are available for review at http://bit.ly/1OyePEp.

BUSINESS READY COMMUNITY (BRC) GRANT APPLICATIONS

Business Council staff review each application, conduct site visits or conference calls in the case of planning grants, and make presentations to a board subcommittee before making final recommendations to the full board.

About the Program: The Wyoming Business Council administers the Business Ready Community grant and loan program, which provides financing for publicly owned infrastructure that serves the needs of businesses and promotes economic development within Wyoming communities.

The Business Council board is required by statute to forward BRC grant and loan recommendations to the SLIB for final approval. The SLIB is comprised of the five statewide elected officials: the governor, secretary of state, state auditor, state treasurer and state superintendent of public instruction.

Business Committed

• Laramie requests a $2,685,750 grant and $209,250 loan to construct a 12,150 square-foot building to house vertical hydroponics manufacturer Bright Agrotech. The Laramie Chamber Business Alliance will provide a 3.85-acre lot in the Laramie River Business Park. The company is a Wyoming Technology Business Center incubator graduate. The project is expected to create 40 jobs in the next three years. The Laramie Chamber Business Alliance expects to recoup $695,000 in lease payments to be used toward future economic development opportunities. (Staff recommends full funding.)

Community Readiness

• Alpine requests a $1,538,944 grant and $226,683 loan to purchase 35 acres from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, in addition to extending and upgrading an existing road and an 8-inch water main. The project will improve fire suppression, system reliability and recreational lake access. The property has garnered commercial interest, including from an in-state brewery and Melvin Brewing, which has indicated interest in expansion. (Staff recommends full funding.)
• Greybull requests a $1,260,000 grant for road and sewer improvements to its 28.3-acre business park. Interest in the area is high. By early June, 11 of 15 available lots will be sold to five businesses expanding in the Bighorn Basin. Those expansions will add seven to 10 jobs in the community. This is the last remaining commercial open space within Greybull. (Staff recommends funding $900,000.)
• Jackson Hole Airport Board requests a $1,500,000 grant and $1,000,000 loan to construct a pipeline and related improvements to convey wastewater from the airport to the town of Jackson’s wastewater treatment facility. The project will allow the airport to continue operations and increase passenger traffic without hurting the environment. It will also reduce operating costs and long-term replacement costs compared with an onsite treatment plant. (Staff recommends funding the $1,500,000 grant and a $500,000 loan.)
• Afton requests a $312,750 grant to resurface Hospital Lane and add pedestrian safety enhancements to Adams Street. Hospital Lane is the main access road to the Star Valley Medical Center. The center plans to expand. Plans to increase employment at the medical center depend on safe access to the facility. The project will also address the expected traffic issues resulting from increased local tourism and visitors to the temple under construction three blocks away. (Staff does not recommend funding.)

Community Enhancement

• Cowley requests a $425,6000 grant to expand the Cowley Community Center. The money will be used to renovate the Rasmussen building adjacent to the historic Cowley log gym. The addition of a commercial kitchen in the Rasmussen building will expand the type of events that can be hosted in both buildings. The Rasmussen building will be used for 4-H meetings, classes from the University of Wyoming and Northwest College, training space for local business needs and after-school or summer recreation classes. (Staff does not recommend funding.)

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT (CDBG) APPLICATIONS

Before making the final recommendation to the Business council board, staff reviews each application, conducts a site visit (except CDBG planning grants) and presents to a board subcommittee. The Business Council board determines final awards for CDBG projects.

About the Program: The Business Council administers the Community Development Block Grant program, which is a federally-funded, pass-through grant program from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Imminent Threat Flood Hazard 

• Buffalo requests a $193,132 grant to design and construct a 40-foot dam spill way area for flood mitigation. Buffalo suffered severe flooding in June 2015 from rainfall and runoff. There have been four flooding events in Buffalo since the 1980s. Without this project, there is a higher likelihood such a disaster will occur again.

For more information about these projects, visit the Wyoming Business Council Website, www.wyomingbusiness.org or call 1-800-262-3425.