Eight projects funded with additional grant money

By KARLA POMEROY
Eight projects will receive additional funding through the State Loan and Investment Board’s County Consensus Block Grant.
The county, withdrawing its Big Horn County Multipurpose Complex project, pulled back the $380,000 that had been allocated through the grant funding. The mayors from the county’s nine incorporated communities and the county commissioners met Friday night at the Greybull Town Hall to reallocate the funds.
Commissioner Keith Grant asked the mayors to consider allocating additional funding to the North Big Horn Senior Center window replacement project in Lovell ($8,000), Big Horn County Lovell Library expansion project ($75,000) since the funds were originally intended to be the county’s share of the consensus grant.
County Grants Administrator Linda Harp prepared a list of projects that were either ongoing or ready to move forward from the consensus block grant’s substitute list. The projects totaled $449,745.10. The mayors and commissioners unanimously voted to cut 15.5 percent funding from each request to bring the total cost down to the $380,000 available.
The projects are and original request are as follows:
• The Lovell senior center window replacement project, $8,000.
• Big Horn County Lovell Library expansion, $75,000.
• Big Horn County Washington Park restrooms, $50,000. Basin’s acting mayor Mike Lewis said the park’s restrooms are “more like an outhouse” at this time. Basin also had restrooms for Basin’s Henderson Park on the substitute list but Lewis said Washington Park was a priority.
• Town of Frannie Community Center, $45,000. The additional funds will help cover the costs with bids coming in over estimates.
• Town of Deaver infrastructure, $55,000. Deaver was funded for an infrastructure project but the grant is only funding 61 percent with the town having to match at 59 percent. Mayor Rod Wambeke said this funding would help cover the electrical work for the project.
• Town of Cowley Main Street renovation, $41,745.10. Mayor Roland Simmons said this would cover the additional costs after the bids received were higher than estimates.
• Town of Greybull incinerator, $15,000. This is a project that was moved up from the substitute list. Greybull is proposing constructing an energy-efficient incinerator that would convert used motor oils and other wastes to usable energy in order to heat the town shop.
• Lovell Canal District, $160,000. This project was also moved from the substitute list. Vance Leithead of the district board said the district has applied for a $430,000 grant from the Wyoming Water Development Commission for materials for the project. This funding will pay for engineering and installation to cover a mile of the canal.
The group agreed to place two Search and Rescue vehicles on the substitute list for future considerations.
Manderson Mayor Helen Saunders sought guidance for reallocating the $59,438 the town was provided under the block grant. The funding was to be used for a street light project. Saunders said at Friday’s meeting that the electrical company is funding the project and the town would like to the $83,000 to go toward waterline replacement.
Harp told Saunders to contact the State Lands and Investment Office on whether the funds would have to be returned and then reallocated first. If that is the case another meeting of the mayors and commissioners would have to be held.