 - The Fremont County Commission has agreed to act as the pass-through agency for a $5 million grant application that would allow BOCES 5 to purchase and renovate the former Warm Valley Lodge facility in Dubois.){kind=link}
(Lander, WY) – The Fremont County Commission has agreed to act as the pass-through agency for a $5 million grant application that would allow BOCES 5 to purchase and renovate the former Warm Valley Lodge facility in Dubois.
If awarded, the funding would be used to convert the facility into a youth-based residential living center capable of serving at least 35 students with unmet housing needs, BOCES 5 Strategic Systems Manager Traci McClintic said.
Some of those students would likely come from the BOCES 5 C-V Ranch Therapeutic Residential School in Wilson, she noted, explaining that the new facility in Dubois would serve as a “step down” placement for individuals who are ready for a less restrictive environment, opening space for additional higher-need students at C-V Ranch.
The project in Dubois is also expected to create about 36 full-time jobs, McClintic said, and staff housing would be incorporated into the facility.
Making the rounds
McClintic presented the BOCES 5 proposal in front of the Fremont County Commission, the Dubois Town Council, and the Dubois School Board last month.
School officials asked McClintic to stay in touch with them if the project progresses, especially if the BOCES 5 students will need services from Fremont County School District 2, and Dubois Mayor Patricia Neveaux said a letter of support for the project would be sent to the county commission, according to minutes from the Jan. 14 Dubois Town Council meeting.
The Fremont County Commission voted to act as the pass-through agency for the grant during a special meeting Jan. 28, but only after receiving assurances from McClintic and BOCES 5 Executive Director Dan Mayer that the county would not be financially responsible for the project.
They also confirmed that, if the grant is awarded and the conditions aren’t favorable, both BOCES 5 and the Commission will have the opportunity to reject it.
The grant award is expected to be announced April 2.