Several Goshen County organizations, individuals and entities met Wednesday and agreed on one thing: the county needs the proposed county gymnasium and exercise rooms in the old Torrington Middle School.

In a meeting held at the Goshen County Economic Development Corporation (GCEDC) office on Wednesday afternoon, attendees representing county and city organizations discussed possible funding sources for the project and a strategy to move things forward. Lisa Johnson, GCEDC executive director, was the moderator at the meeting. She said the county must decide if it is going to pursue the county gym project. She said the original grant received from the Wyoming Business Council (WBC) was $250,000 but that $25,000 of that amount has already been spent on engineering and other costs. The latest “bare bones” estimate the county commissioners received to get the facility operational is $400,000, meaning an additional $175,000 is needed.

County Commissioner Ross Newman gave a brief history of the project. He said a little over two years ago Brad Sutherland, then GCEDC executive director, presented the commissioners with a “no lose” proposition. Sutherland said the county needed an additional gym and the school district was willing to give the TMS gym to the county and continue paying the utilities. However, the school district would then have the right to take it back in four years.

In discussions between the commissioners and the school district, the district decided it did not want the gym and would rent it if needed. The project appeared to be an excellent opportunity for the county to use the gym as a public facility.

According to Newman, a state fire inspector has since determined that since the gym changed ownership from the school district to the county, it would need a new sprinkler system at an estimated cost of $100,000. In addition, the original project was expanded to include an estimated 3,500 square feet that will house the recreation office and recreation related activities. The county commissioners have already budgeted an additional $60,000 for the recreation office – from $40,000 to $100,000 per year – to cover the cost of utilities and maintenance for the gym.

Newman told WBC representative Tom Johnson the facility meets the criteria of the state program to turn old school buildings into public facilities and asked if it was possible to increase the original $250,000 grant.

Tom Johnson said the county gym is a “great project” and meets the guidelines for the grant program to use old school buildings. However, he said an internal rule at the WBC does not allow the council to retroactively increase the amount of approved grants.

“One option is to pull the grant and apply for a grant in the future,” Johnson said. “The pro is that you can apply for a larger amount. The con is that there is only $6.5 million left in the program and there are already $8-$10 million in requests for 2008-2010.”

Tom Johnson said the WBC is hoping to get more money from the state Legislature. He noted that if the commissioners resubmitted the gym grant request by June 2009, they could receive a decision by October 2009.

“This program is wildly popular and in continual demand,” he said. “It is a gamble to pull the grant in the belief that you will get the needed dollars in the next funding cycle.”

Tom Johnson committed to helping the county with a new grant application if the county decided to withdraw its approved grant and resubmit.

Lorraine Werner, USDA Rural Development area director, said the USDA has grant loans the county could use for the project. She said the county gym project does qualify for a USDA low interest loan at 4 1/2 percent for 30 years. Werner volunteered to help put a package together and said revenue bonds might be a way to pay back the loan.

Lisa Johnson asked if the county gym project fit into the long-term goals of the county.

GCEDC board member Craig Spencer said that completing the county gym could show that there is a real need for this type of facility, which could help to justify a larger facility at a later date.

“Not having some type of recreation center does hurt Torrington,” Spencer said. “The more community facilities and buildings you have to offer the community, the better you will be.”

Goshen County Recreation Director Tami Harshberger said the county gym would fill a need for Goshen County residents. She said there are 13 programs up and “ready to go” for the county gym facility.

Torrington Mayor Leroy Schafer said the city does not have any money budgeted for this type project, but fifth penny money could be available in July. He said the decision whether or not to provide funding for the project is up to the city council.

Lisa Johnson said it appeared that everyone in attendance was in favor of trying to save the old TMS gym.

“The first step is to get a firm estimate of the cost for the county gym project,” she said. “We need to get the $19,000 cost study performed to have a firm figure.”

Newman said he felt the county commissioners would vote to approve the $19,000 cost study at their meeting next week. Lisa Johnson said she could then use this figure to seek alternate funding sources for the project.

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