CHEYENNE – The Business Council approved $2.79 million in Community Development Block Grant (federal money) requests. The board also recommended $6.5 million in Business Ready Community grant and loan requests. Those projects now go before the State Loan and Investment Board (SLIB) for approval.
SLIB comprises the five statewide elected officials (Governor Matt Mead, State Superintendent Jillian Balow, Wyoming Secretary of State Ed Murray, State Treasurer Mark Gordon and Cynthia Cloud,CPA for Wyoming State Auditor)
Among the projects approved by the WBC involves the old buildings around Bunning Park. The council approved $500,000 to rehabilitate, beautify and develop new uses in the historic Bunning Park neighborhood. Plans include the purchase and demolition of 23 dilapidated and abandoned houses and the creation of 12 handicapped-accessible parking spaces for the park.
The CDBG projects
- Albany County – $488,857 for upgrades to Big Bros, Big Sis facility
- Fort Laramie – $322,229 for sewer/water line replacement and lagoon updates
- Deaver – $489,000 for new water system
- Rock Springs – $500K demo of blighted buildings downtown
- Rawlins – $500K for upgrades to the historic guard’s quarters at Wyoming Frontier Prison
- Evansville – $356K to install sidewalks on Main Street
- Washakie County – $136,117 to expand the library.
The BRC Projects
- Laramie – $3M for expansion of HiViz
- Laramie – $3M for redevelopment of the Empress lot
- Old Pen JPB – $500K to renovate the historic guards’ quarters at Wyoming Frontier Prison (this is in addition to the Community Development Block Grant just received.)