Sweetwater County approves $1.54 million funding agreement for power-plant road reconstruction

The Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners voted to approve a funding agreement with the Wyoming Energy Authority totaling $1,540,285.70 to rebuild the section of road serving the county power plant.

"What you have before you is an agreement between the Winding Energy Authority and Sweetwater County to pay a 1 to 1 match on what we're gonna use it for is the power plant road," Public Works Director Gene Ligurski said, describing plans to reconstruct the first roughly 1.3 miles after the first mile and a half had deteriorated. Ligurski told commissioners the county originally pursued broader work in 2023 but funding constraints narrowed the scope; the match from the energy authority made the current project feasible.

Commissioners asked for clarity on the length and scope of repairs; Ligurski said the county would fully reconstruct the first mile and about 0.3 additional miles and apply a chip seal further along where appropriate, with part of the match drawn from the county fuel tax. The board approved the agreement by motion, recorded as moved by Commissioner Slaughter and seconded by Commissioner Jones; the motion was announced as unanimous.

The approval authorizes the chair to sign all necessary documents to accept the funding and proceed with contracting and project scheduling. The project director said the earliest submittal on this funding line dated to 02/06/2023 and that delays were due to staff turnover at partner agencies and shifting funding priorities.