The next Pinedale Town Council meeting
will be Monday, Dec. 9, with a workshop at 4
p.m. and the meeting at 5 p.m.
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Despite an offer of a discount
price, a 10-year no-interest loan, and a
swap to unload the old town hall property, the
Pinedale Town Council decided not to purchase
land for ball fields at Bloomfield and
will stick with a 99-year lease from Sublette
County School District No. 1.
All five council members attended the
Nov. 25 workshop and following meeting
including Mayor Matt Murdock, Dean Loftus,
Tyler Swafford, John Paravicini and Judi
Boyce.
Two locations on private property were
discussed. Murdock said owner John Harber
offerred a Bloomfield site. The property
has an appraised value of $1.2 million, but
the owner agreed to donate anything above
$750,00. In addition Harber was willing to do
a trade of the former town hall location on
West Pine Street for $150,000. The remaining
$600,000 price could then be paid over
10 years with an interest-free loan.
In both cases, the town is on the hook to
build either a road on Wilson Street to the
school district location near the bus barn or a
connection to Ehman Lane from the Bloomfield
site.
Swafford said he liked the Bloomfield site
due to the access and better layout with more
room to grow. He couldn’t justify passing the
additional expense for the land purchase to
the Sublette County Rural Health Care District.
He added that typically people playing
softball enjoy alcohol and questioned if alcohol
is allowed on the school site. Murdock
said it’s like Wrangler Skate Park and would
be under the town’s control.
Paravicini said with a lot of “wheeling and
dealing” with the two private locations, any
piece falling apart would kill the deal.
When flooding of the road was mentioned
on the Bloomfield location, the council
reached a consensus. Following the workshop,
approval was give to Brian Gray with
Jorgensen & Associates to begin the Master
Plan for the site.
To date, the council has spent just over
$16,000 on surveys and an appraisal. Another
$211,000 was approved for the Master
Plan. Murdock confirmed the costs were all
included in the original $3.2-million cost estimate.
Elaina Zemple, Western Regional Director
for the Wyoming Business Council, also met
with council members about possibly using
the vacant land at 221 W. Pine St. as a collateral
property for a business grant.
Zemple said one option is a business
readiness grant that prepares the town for
development. Any proposed business would
need to have to pay an average salary of the
median county wage. Typically, that eliminates
restaurants, she said.
“Your land is on prime retail space and Pinedale
has a strong tourism market,” Zemple
said. She said retail space that keeps visitors
in town would qualify for that grant.
A similar project was done in Lyman
where old dilapidated buildings were torn
down and replaced with a building for four
retail businesses. The four businesses that
went into the space had very long-term leases.
A second grant option is for an identified
business, such as the grant used for Enviremedial
Services, Inc. She said they can loan
$100,000 for each job generated.
Council members agreed to put together
information seeking a business that may qualify
for a grant.
Zemple cautioned it should be done sooner
rather than later because predictions are that
state funding will become tighter and grants
will not be readily available.
The next Pinedale Town Council meeting
will be Monday, Dec. 9, with a workshop at 4
p.m. and the meeting at 5 p.m.