GREEN RIVER – Tuesday evening Green River’s City Council faced a very difficult decision. For the third time, Council deliberated options regarding a project designed for the historic Union Pacific Depot in the heart of downtown and the fate of the building. Declining revenues was the driving force in the final decision to return a grant to the Wyoming Business Council.

In 2013 the City entered into a grant agreement with the Wyoming Business Council for the reuse and redevelopment of the Depot site. The project, under the Community Facilities Grant Program was conceived in three phases; Phase I costing over $3 million. Wyoming Business Council allocated $1 million to the project while the remaining approximately $2 million was to be provided by the City in matching funds. The City has $500,000 in funds set aside for the project but does not anticipate the ability to produce the additional $ 1.5 million in time to meet the project completion deadline.

The grant agreement as dictated by the original proposal submitted to the Wyoming Business Council in the end of 2012 stated that “Lynch Hall will be used for private and public youth activities, expanded Parks & Recreation programming, and new arts and cultural activities designed specifically for youth.” After a more in-depth examination of the conditions of the grant award the City realized that there would be significant costs associated with offering the

proposed programming at the facility as well as maintaining the general operations and maintenance of the buildings. When considering those facts coupled with declining tax revenues and an inability to produce the matching funds, the Council resigned itself to returning the grant to the Wyoming Business Council so those monies can be de-obligated and used to benefit another community.

Plans to renovate and redevelop the site have not been abandoned however. In 2014 the City received a Brownfields Cleanup grant from the EPA to conduct hazardous waste abatement at the Depot site, a mandatory step before the buildings can be utilized. The City is moving forward with the abatement and the project is scheduled to begin October 1, 2014.

Additionally, the City has begun reevaluating the entire Depot project, exploring uses for the

buildings which will foster economic development in the downtown and better serve the needs and interests of the community. City staff will explore multiple options including partnering with business investors and applying to the Wyoming Business Council for funding in their Downtown Development Program. Presenting a new, well researched and economically responsible project plan to the Wyoming Business Council is of the highest priority.

–From a press release