Old Stoney gets final funding

Rule changes within the Wyoming Business Council (WBC) looked set to dash any hope of finishing out Old Stoney – until the state senate stepped in.

Last week, Mayor Paul Brooks told the story of how the historic building managed to secure the last funding bump needed to finally finish the renovation project.

“Wyoming Business Council has changed all the rules again,” he began.

Now, in order to qualify for grant funding, it’s necessary to prove and quantify the exact economic impact that a project will have – something Brooks said is a significant challenge for a small community that doesn’t have the staffing manpower to do that kind of survey.

It wasn’t possible to meet this criteria, so the funding application for Old Stoney’s third and final floor – the auditorium on the top level, which will also include a catering kitchen, bathroom and large and small meeting rooms – was turned down.

“But,” said Brooks, “We have friends in the Senate.”

According to the mayor, Senator Ogden Driskill added a line item to the WBC budget this year that provides the necessary funding for Old Stoney. That budget was then passed during the legislative session.

“In fact, we are going to get a grant for $2.69 million with no match to finish Old Stoney,” he said.

The city is now in the process of figuring out how the grant will work, and who will be administering it.

“We are in motion,” Brooks said.