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Commissioners set recommended priorities for Albany County recreation grants; Pilot Hill, Special Olympics top list
Summary
The Albany County commissioners reviewed presentations from local recreation organizations and approved a ranked recommendation list for county Recreation Board funding, putting Special Olympics and Medicine Bow Nordic near the top and asking one applicant to scale back its request.
The Albany County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 4 heard presentations from more than a half-dozen recreation and community groups seeking funding through the county Recreation Board and approved a ranked recommendation the board will forward to the Rec Board.
The commission put Special Olympics Laramie Stampede and the Medicine Bow Nordic Association at the top of its recommended funding list, followed by Common Outdoor Ground, the Pilot Hill trailhead project, the Laramie Plains Civic Center Griffin Theater audio upgrades and the Albany County Fairgrounds roof repairs. The board also recommended funding smaller asks from the Laramie Trap Club and Laramie Rifle/Range projects and placed the public library and a local cheer program (YOLO / “WIO Elite Storm” / YOLA) lower in the list, asking that the cheer program submit an amended, smaller request.
Why it matters: The county uses a mill levy allocation and leftover mill funding to support the Rec Board’s grant program; commissioners’ rankings strongly influence which projects are prioritized when the Rec Board meets and when city/school-district funding shares are calculated.
What the commission heard: Presenters described proposed uses and local participation. - Sarah (presenting for Pilot Hill Recreation and Wildlife Habitat Management Area) asked for $100,000 toward the Pilot Hill trailhead construction, describing a year-round trailhead with restrooms, accessible parking for 60 vehicles, bus drop-off and connections to nearby schools and city trail networks. She cited a University of Wyoming economic analysis projecting local visitor spending and jobs tied to the completed facility. - Kelly Steiner, president of Medicine Bow Nordic Association, requested $11,300 to support grooming operations and trail upkeep, noting extensive youth and school use of the Thai City/Trailhead system and stable volunteer leadership. - Jesse Ballard of the Laramie Trap Club requested $15,000 to offset clay-target costs and to help upgrade aging office/computer equipment for registered shoots. - Taylor (Albany County Fairgrounds manager) presented a $185,771.91 request to replace roofs and perform deferred maintenance on the Beef Barn and Rodeo office and outlined other needed repairs across the grounds. - Zoe Pierce and Caitlin McKnight (YOLO / WIO Elite Storm cheer program) asked for a very large capital request (about $310,728) to build a 70x70 training facility; commissioners encouraged them to submit a reduced request (the group agreed to provide a $12,000 alternative package for uniforms, practice gear and scholarships). - Common Outdoor Ground (COG) requested $9,928.02 for volunteer coordination, trail stewardship tools and an outdoor school for local students.
Commission action: Commissioner Gosar moved the ranked recommendation list and the board approved it by voice vote. The motion included directing staff to forward the ranked slate and a $12,000 amendment option from the cheer program to the Rec Board for consideration.
Votes at a glance (motion to submit ranked recommendations to Rec Board): motion carried by voice vote; no roll-call tally recorded.
What’s next: The Rec Board will receive the commissioners’ rankings and the project applications for review; final awards depend on the Rec Board decisions and on funding amounts provided by other recommending agencies (city, school district, town of Rock River). The commissioners noted that not every application will be fully funded and urged applicants to identify priority phases and alternate funding paths.
Ending: Commissioners scheduled the Rec Board resolution and applicant packets to be transmitted before the March Rec Board meeting and emphasized the county’s role as one of four recommending agencies for the program.
