Economic Opportunity Advisory Board hears 15 grant pitches, schedules special meeting to finalize recommendations

The Grand County Economic Opportunity Advisory Board on a presentation-heavy meeting heard pitches from local businesses and nonprofit groups seeking county grant support and decided to hold a follow-up meeting next Wednesday at 4 p.m. to finish deliberations.

Board Chair Chris Wilson opened the meeting with introductions and an outline of the funding context: the board is assembling proposals for a pool that includes a $200,000 rural-county grant allocation and larger statewide competition grants. “One question I want to ask everyone … is whether you want to be considered for partial funding,” Wilson told presenters, repeating that partial awards were possible because funds must be combined into packages that meet grant rules.

Why it matters: the proposals presented would affect local workforce development, visitor services and small-business capacity in Moab and Grand County. The board’s follow-up meeting will narrow applications it forwards to the county and, for larger asks, to state or regional grant programs.

What was presented (high-level summaries): - The Press (Rebecca McAllister) — Purchase and remodel of the Times Independent building to house Desert Thread, a second Moss Cafe location and a community-oriented commercial kitchen intended as an incubator for food entrepreneurs. McAllister said the kitchen would support Moss Cafe and offer “an incubator and a platform for makers in the foodie ecosystem.” She told the board the project would also pursue an SBA loan (closing in May, she said) and that the team would accept partial funding. - Trades Readiness & Development (Megan / Ashtec) — A proposal to bring Department of Labor–approved construction apprenticeship programs to the county, with a sizable component proposed for scholarships to place apprentices in paid on-the-job training. Megan said the ask included funding to stand up six construction apprenticeship tracks and that partial funding could be used to establish the program infrastructure. - Destination EMS training (Grand County EMS) — McKay Vowels, clinical director, described a multi‑year plan to build a “destination EMS” training program in Moab, partnered with Utah State University, to deliver EMT then paramedic training and technical rescue courses using off‑season lodging. Vowels said the program would require the full larger grant request to meet the group’s goals. - Workforce and employer housing proposals — multiple applicants presented concepts ranging from Moab Regional Hospital’s 22-acre Spanish Valley development (Jen Sadoff) intended to hold 50–60 deed‑restricted units for essential staff, to Community Rebuilds’ proposals to expand housing models and to lead legal/financing work to enable employer-backed deeds. - Local business and cultural projects — presentations included the Moab Brewery’s proposed beer garden adjacent to the food‑truck park, Friends of the Moab Folk Festival’s marketing request, the Chamber of Commerce’s $40,000 ask to support the January Business Summit, and several small-business incubator proposals (a mobile/shipping-container commercial kitchen pitched by Moab Homegrown Farm, a Castle Valley freeze‑drying and commercial processing pilot and an Eco HVAC small‑manufacturing plan by Courtney Atwood).

Board action: The board voted to hold a special meeting next Wednesday at 4 p.m. to continue deliberations. The motion to schedule the follow-up meeting was moved by Aaron Lundberg and seconded by Randy Martin; the chair called for a vote and the motion carried.

Next steps: Board members said they plan more targeted due diligence between now and the follow-up session (for example checking zoning or reimbursement rules) and to consult state technical‑assistance staff about structuring larger Rural County Opportunity Grants and matching funds. At the end of the meeting the chair adjourned and reminded applicants the board will meet again the following week to refine its recommendations for the County Commission.

Ending: The meeting produced no final award decisions; the follow‑up session will be used to rank projects and finalize the board’s recommendations to the county and to any regional/state grant competitions.