Joint Powers Board Hosts City Council, County Commission

The joint powers board that oversees the development of the former Amoco refinery and tank farm will give its annual update to Casper and Natrona County officials today, its chairman says.

"It's the state-of-the-union report for the joint powers board to provide for the city and the county," says Bryce Row, chairman of the Amoco Reuse Agreement Joint Powers Board.

The Casper City Council and the Natrona County Commission appoint the board members. The full council and commission are scheduled to attend the meeting at 4:30 p.m. today in the Big Horn Conference Room of the Casper Area Innovation Center at 2435 King Blvd.

The board was created in 1998 when Amoco -- now BP -- signed an agreement with the city of Casper and Natrona County to oversee the development of the property.  BP pledged more than $25 million..toward the goal of replacing the number of jobs lost when the refinery shut down in 1991. The ARAJPB receives no money from Casper or Natrona County.

Row says the board's two largest assets are the Three Crowns Golf Course on the 340-acre former refinery site itself now known as the Platte River Commons, and the 250-acre Salt Creek Heights Business Park west of the county jail.

The Platte River Commons also is the home for the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission building, the Casper Area Innovation Center, the Platte River Business Plaza, and a medical office building under construction.

The business park's residents include American Tire Distributors, American Legion Post No. 2, and Jack's Truck and Equipment.