(Lander, WY) – The Fremont County Commission approved a recommendation from its economic development committee this week to offer grants to three local organizations that requested optional half percent sales tax funding this round.
The awardees include:
- Brandi Waheed with Countryside Veterinary Service LLC, who requested $250,000 and was recommended to receive $180,000 for a mobile unit, equipment, and inventory
- Gfab Welding LLC, which requested $75,000 for an expansion and was recommended to receive $34,747 to cover initial electrical
- Second Street Farm, which requested $28,500 for additional high tunnel greenhouses and was recommended to receive $41,490
MOVE Committee Chair Brett Berg explained that Second Street Farm had only asked for partial funding for its project because it had applied for a grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service to help fund the additional greenhouses, but “we felt that, not knowing where the NRCS grant was going, that the community would be better served to fund those two greenhouses 100 percent so that they can get going on that.”
“The sooner that happens, the sooner the community is going to realize the return on that money,” Berg said. “So that’s why we went from $28,500 to $41,490, was to expedite the process.”
He noted that the NRCS grant will now be “for naught,” because the agency doesn’t “fund purchases already made.”
Other applicants
Eight other local entities applied for economic development grants from Fremont County this round but were not recommended for funding, including:
- Riverton Medical District, which requested $300,000 for a Riverton hospital and clinic
- Dubois Equipment Rental LLC, which requested $240,000 for equipment rental start-up
- Paws for Life Animal League, which requested $150,000 for animal shelter operations
- Baumgartner Logging and Firewood, which requested $150,000 for a firewood processor
- Northland LLC, which requested $104,250 for business expansion
- Jill Skiba, who requested $85,000 for a stockyard woodfired pizza
- Independence Day Fireworks Committee, which requested $45,000 for a 2025 fireworks display
- The Moose Outpost, which requested $10,000 for “Mossies and Murals”
Final appearance
Fremont County’s economic development grant program is funded by the optional half percent sales tax that failed renewal this year, and MOVE Committee Chair Brett Berg said this week’s recommendation “is likely going to be our last appearance” before the Commission.
Last month, Commissioners said they would suspend the MOVE Committee economic development grant program after the current round of applications was processed, leaving it up to the commission to decide where to allocate the remainder of the county’s half percent sales tax funds.
At that time, the fund held about $1.4 million and was expected to generate an additional $850,000 before tax collections ended.