CHEYENNE, Wyo. — At its monthly board meeting Thursday morning, the Cheyenne Downtown Development Authority revealed its current spending for its Capital Improvement Grant program. So far, five businesses have received funding, and five others have had their requests for funding approved.
Nearly $200,000 in Capital Improvement Grants have been approved and paid out to local businesses, according to a DDA staff memo. The following businesses have received the grant funds:
- High Plains Turquoise — $1,145.82
- SAF Compliance — $14,240
- Get Bent LCC — $50,000
- Children’s Museum of Cheyenne — $50,000
- Catz N Coffee Connection — $988.50
In addition, the DDA has approved several other grants, but they have not yet been paid out. These are the DDA’s present commitments:
- Bent Over LLC/West Edge Collective — $16,500 of a potential total of $50,000 in funding
- Bell Building — $50,000
- MHP/Bent LLC — $50,000
- Game Masters — $1,362.60
One grant that the DDA approved for Westby Edge Brewery on Feb. 7 has not yet been cleared, so the DDA hasn’t posted it on either its list of paid grants or present commitments. The grant is in the amount of $33,000.
A CIG grant was approved for Blue Stem Winehouse in October 2022 but has expired because the business did not utilize the funds within a 12-month period from the time it was awarded. The funding totaled $21,087. DDA staff clarified on Thursday that Blue Stem Winehouse can reapply for a grant, and businesses can request an extension if project complications arise.
The DDA’s 2024 fiscal year budget for CIG funds is currently set at $150,000. In addition, the board’s Façade Improvement Program Grant budget, which the DDA will also utilize to fund CIG projects, is currently at $250,000. The board’s fiscal year began on July 1, 2023, and will end June 30, 2024.
The downtown development board amended its budget at the its January meeting. Noticeably, board members elected to raise its funding for Capital Improvement Grants by $117,000.
