Visit Casper outlines Hell's Half Acre progress and upcoming destination development funding

Annette, representing Visit Casper, updated trustees on partnership projects including the Hell's Half Acre ribbon cutting and on grant programs that could support county park work.

Annette thanked the county for its collaboration, described Hell's Half Acre as a multi‑partner, grant‑funded project and said Visit Casper is monitoring potential funding opportunities via a grant service it recently subscribed to. She told the board, "we get awarded $600,000 for the biennium," and said Visit Casper expects an additional disbursement this summer; the organization plans to discuss priorities with its board and to publish an application form (anticipated in August) for destination development funds from the Wyoming Office of Tourism. She emphasized the tourism office's stipulation that those funds should not be used for projects that would otherwise be paid from lodging tax or the hosts' normal budget.

Trustees asked that grant notices be passed to county staff for review and thanked Visit Casper staff and other partners for supporting parks projects. The meeting also recorded updates on specific grant applications the county has pursued: an Easton grant lead was passed to county staff, an archery‑range application remains under review by Easton, and the Bear Trap shelter application cleared an initial hurdle and has a site visit scheduled for June 19.

Next steps: Visit Casper will notify county staff when the destination development application is posted; trustees said they would coordinate on priorities and staff review of incoming grant opportunities.