SWEETWATER COUNTY — Due to economic uncertainties Sweetwater County will be facing into the future, a few of the Sweetwater County Commissioners are rethinking moving forward with the Lagoon Drive Consolidated Facility.

Due to COVID-19 Coronavirus recommendations, the commissioner’s video conference meeting on July 21, at 8:30 am, will not be accessible at the County Courthouse.

The public is invited to watch the meeting on the Sweetwater County YouTube channel.

The public can comment immediately following the public hearing presentation at about 8:30 am, and during the public comment section of the agenda at about 9 am am by calling 307-872-3891, or by sending comments ahead of time via email to: [email protected]. The public hearings are regarding six different planning and zoning requests.

During the meeting, a discussion regarding the Lagoon Facility Project will take place. The commissioners are planning to make a decision whether to go out to bid for the project as planned, or hold off considering the economic hardships the county is facing in Fiscal Year 2021.

The Lagoon Drive Consolidated Facility, a near $21 million project, is a building that will act as both a facility for the Sweetwater County Fire Department and the Sweetwater Public Works building. The facility will be able to house both departments as well as their equipment.

In early 2020, the County had a loan set up with US Bank for the facility costs, pending a lease for the property. However, the lease for the land, which is owned by the Bureau of Land Management, was not secured in time. This resulted in them losing the opportunity to borrow the money and they had to seek funding elsewhere.

In March 2020, the commissioners agreed to go out for RFP to see what offers they would get from a variety of banks to fund the facility. They decided to look at both $15 million of funding as well as full funding.

While Commissioners Wally Johnson and Jeff Smith have expressed their desire to go out for bid and see what offers they get for the project, Commissioners Lauren Schoenfeld and Roy Lloyd have concerns about moving forward with the project at all, as the county is facing tough economic times.

Other Business

The commissioners will also be considering a request to ammend the current 6th cent special purpose tax annual dispursement for the Sweetwater County Child Development Center due to recent budget cuts and investment issues.

Later in the meeting, the commissioners will have a budget session follow-up to discuss how to better the process next year.

To view the full agenda and packet for Tuesday’s meeting, click here.