Business Council Grants $1.5M to Casper for Midwest Avenue Reconstruction
The Wyoming Business Council board of directors recommended three Business Ready Community funding requests, including one for a Casper street, and approved two challenge loans during its meeting in Casper last week.
The board recommended fully funding the City of Casper's request for $1,520,693 to complete the reconstruction of a three-block area of Midwest Avenue between Elm and Walnut streets in the Old Yellowstone District.
The money will be used for the replacement of water and sanitary sewer mains, enlarging storm sewer mains, paving, sidewalks, curbs and gutters. Funds also will be used for bike lanes, lighting, fiber and underground electrical utilities.
The Casper City Council has already approved funding for the project.
However, the board rejected a request from the Casper-Natrona County Economic Development Joint Powers Board for $50,000 to create a plan to identify development and diversification projects and obtain local and national financing.
The WBC's board of directors also acted on these requests:
- Granted Sublette County's request for $1,032,500 to buy the building and 2.15 acres that houses Enviremedial Services, Inc. The company leases the building as its manufacturing facility, but needs to expand to keep pace with recently awarded government contracts. The county will own the building, and the company will pay lease payments to the county for 20 years.
- Granted Sweetwater County's request for $50,000 to conduct a study for the Industrial Development Project, the region's largest locally driven venture to generate new conditions for economic development. This will consist of developing a site of up to 15,000 acres in the area of the Southwest Regional Airport.
- Approved a $2 million challenge loan for BM&D Land & Cattle Co., to buy and improve an existing building in the Swan Ranch Industrial Park in Cheyenne, build an adjacent office building, and purchase equipment and establish working capital.
- Approved a $175,000 challenge loan to HMH Distributors/Redpointe, which is considering moving its headquarters to Lander from Longmont, Colo. It is an outdoor recreation gear company whose focus is the manufacturing and resoling of rock-climbing shoes.
The Business Council board will forward these grant and loan recommendations to the State Loan and Investment Board for final approval. The SLIB is comprised of the five statewide elected officials: the governor, secretary of state, state auditor, state treasurer, and state superintendent of public instruction.
For more information about these projects, visit the Wyoming Business Council website or call 1-800-262-3425.