Press Room ::

For Release:
Sept. 3, 2008

Kim Sears
Senior Marketing and Public Relations Specialist
Wyoming Business Council
Office: 307.777.2834

Over $6 million for Wyo. communities to be discussed by Council board

CHEYENNE – The Wyoming Business Council Board of Directors will review grant applications totaling over $6 million for seven Wyoming communities at the board’s Sept. 11 meeting. The meeting, which is open to the public, will begin at 9 a.m. at the Rock Springs Holiday Inn.

Applications for Community Facilities grants and Business Ready Community grants from Alpine, Frannie, Goshen County, Hartville, Powell, Sheridan, and Upton will be reviewed. Additionally, the board will hear updates on contracts from its University of Wyoming partners, Wyoming Travel and Tourism, and the Oct. 9-10 Wyoming Idea Expo (www.wyomingideaexpo.com).

A final decision on grant funding will be made by the State Loan and Investment Board (SLIB), to which the Business Council board is required by statute to forward Business Ready Community and Community Facilities grant recommendations. The SLIB is made up of the five statewide elected officials: Gov. Dave Freudenthal, Secretary of State Max Maxfield, State Treasurer Joe Meyer, State Auditor Rita Meyer, and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Jim McBride. The Business Council board’s recommendations will be presented to the SLIB at their Oct. 9 meeting that will be held at 8 a.m. in room B63 of the Herschler Building in Cheyenne.

Applications to be reviewed by the Business Council board include:

Business Ready Community Grants:

SHERIDAN - The Sheridan Economic and Education Development Authority Joint Powers Board requests a $1.5 million Business Committed grant to construct the second phase of a building for the Sheridan Quality Child Care Initiative, Inc., a non-profit organization that will serve as both a child care center and an educational facility for early childhood providers. An in-kind match of conveyed land valued at $426,500 will be made by the community.

Community Facilities Grants and Loans:

ALPINE - The town of Alpine requests a total of $1,275,905, with a total community match of $530,656 for roof and truss replacement, internal renovation, and expansion to bring the Alpine Civic Center back into operation.
FRANNIE - The town of Frannie requests a total of $415,380, with a total community match of $135,899 to finish renovation of a former school for a variety of community uses.
HAWK SPRINGS - Goshen County requests $300,000, with a total community match of $53,443 to renovate a former school in the unincorporated community of Hawk Springs for community use.
HARTVILLE - The town of Hartville requests $426,486, with a total community match of $85,000 to renovate an historic two-room school building.
POWELL - The city of Powell requests a total of $944,012, with a total community match of $166,590 to adapt a 1,345 square foot retrostyle gas filling station into the Plaza Diane Community Center for the Arts and to improve the 10,500 square foot concrete lot around the station to provide landscaping.
UPTON - The town of Upton requests a total of $1.5 million, with a total community match of $445,600 to renovate and expand an obsolescent government-owned structure to create the Upton Community Center, a year-round community facility.

The mission of the Wyoming Business Council is to facilitate the economic growth of Wyoming. For more information, please visit our Web site at www.wyomingbusiness.org.

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WYOMING BUSINESS COUNCIL
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
SEPT. 11, 2008
HOLIDAY INN
ROCK SPRINGS, WY

9 a.m. PUBLIC MEETING CONVENES, Main Ballroom, Holiday Inn
Welcome & Introductions, Jim Davis, co-chair
Minutes Approval from June 6, 2008 meeting

9:30 a.m. COMMITTEE REPORTS
Community Development, Donna Kinskey, chair
Business Ready Applications
Community Facilities Applications
Investment Ready Communities Update, Shawn Reese, director
Rural Development/Main Street Update, Mary Randolph, director

10:30 a.m. Business Development, Cliff Root, chair
Loan Portfolio
Business & Industry Update, Ben Avery, director
IDEA Expo, Brandon Marshall, TITLE
Regional Directors Update, Steve Elledge, lead
South Central Region Report, Pat Robbins, regional director
Contracts
University of Wyoming: SBDC, GRO-BIZ
Travel & Tourism Board Approved

11:45 a.m. Travel & Tourism Division UpdateDiane Shober, Director

12:15 p.m. Working Lunch

12:45 p.m. Agribusiness Program Update, Cindy Weibel, director

1 p.m. Planning, Budget & Audit Committee, Gus Fleischli, chair
Financials
Personnel
Leadership Training
WY Economic & Workforce Development LLC

1:30 p.m. Public Comment

2 p.m. CEO Update
New Legislation
Business Plan
Annual Report

2:45 p.m. Other Business/ Next Meeting/ Adjournment
Dec. 3-4, Cheyenne