$39 Million In Stimulus Funds Allocated To Communities For Wyoming Water, Sewer Projects

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - At a special meeting today, the Wyoming State Loan and Investment Board (SLIB) allocated nearly $40 million in federal economic stimulus funds to communities across Wyoming for water and sewer improvements.

Gov. Dave Freudenthal said he’s encouraged by the diverse list of 43 Wyoming projects that will be funded by federal stimulus money.

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“I commend the staff, and the communities that moved quickly to take advantage of the stimulus funding that was available," he said. "Those funds should be put to work around the state this summer, and hopefully we’ll see people who might have jobs who otherwise might not have them. We will also accomplish the task of meeting some of the unmet needs in the communities and the counties throughout Wyoming.”

The federal stimulus bill allocated $19.2 million for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and $19.5 million for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.

Among the 43 projects approved by SLIB are a sewer replacement in Deaver, a water meter installation plan in Ten Sleep, a wastewater improvement effort in Pine Haven and a water main reconstruction in Sheridan.

The list of approved projects is available on the Office of State Lands Web site.

Lynne Boomgaarden, director of the Office of State Lands and Investments, said the funding will be put to work quickly across Wyoming.

“This is infrastructure money - stimulus money - that is clearly identified for shovel-ready projects," " Boomgaarden said. "The readiness to proceed was the key determining factor in the recommendations we gave as to who would see awards.”

The Governor said the funding will create and preserve jobs in a sector that has seen reduced activity with the economic downturn.

“Clearly, Wyoming is seeing a decline in the construction industry and hopefully, people who have lost their jobs can now find a job with these projects which will be significant construction funds allocated throughout Wyoming for the benefit of our communities and our citizens,” the Governor said.

Boomgaarden said the decline of the national economy has down the cost of construction.

“We’ve got labor available and materials costs are low, so as far as the ‘bang for the buck’ that we’ll get with this stimulus money this year, we’re very excited," she said.

Boomgaarden said her staff considered multiple factors when reviewing the more than $800 million in applications that were submitted, including the time needed to allocate the funding, the level of environmental review that would be needed and the relative financial need of the community applying for funds.

The Office of State Lands worked closely with the Department of Environmental Quality, the Wyoming Water Development Commission and the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 8 office in Denver, she said.

“For any of our revolving loan fund programs, it’s always a collaborative effort," Boomgaarden said. "This just took a higher level of collaboration in a shorter amount of time than we had had to administer before.”

Source: Wyoming Governor