Amoco Reuse Joint Powers Board Still Waits On Conference Center Reports

The board that oversees the development of the former Amoco refinery property is still waiting for the final contract and figures of the proposed conference center.

Amoco Reuse Agreement Joint Powers Board Chairman Bryce Row said little has changed with the project.

"The costs came in a little bit higher than what the research showed us in 2011; as you can imagine some material and labor costs have gone up since then," Row said after the ARAJPB's monthly meeting.

"However, it was expressed to us that it wasn't that much different, so we were pleasantly surprised," he said.

Previous cost estimates have ranged from the mid- to high-$30 million mark.

In June, Casper City Council approved a pass-through lease of agreement of 17 acres of the former refinery property, now known as the Platte River Commons, for a conference center. The city will spend almost $5.1 million to lease the land, and then sublease the same property to a private developer.

Public funds will be used for the infrastructure and the conference center. The hotel itself is a private development.

"We're about to have everything in place," Row said. "There's been further agreements that we've worked on during this time, and so really we're on track to break ground next spring."

Depending on the weather and other factors, the project will take 18 months to 24 months to complete.

The ARAJPB 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. The Casper City Council and the Natrona County Commissionappoint the board members.

BP pledged more than $25 million toward the goal of replacing the number of jobs lost when the refinery shut down in 1991. The board receives no money from the city or the county.

Filed Under: Amoco Reuse Agreement Joint Powers Board, Bryce Row, Conference Center

Categories: Casper News