Old Stoney final phase projected to begin in new year

Grant funding is still on track and meetings with the engineer will begin in the new year to plan phase two of the Old Stoney renovation is set to begin in the new year, said Clerk-Treasurer Theresa Curren last week.

“That gives us a month to get the grant agreement finished and voted on and the engineering contract changed up a little bit and then voted on hopefully next month,” she told the council, stating that the contract has been reviewed and a few changes made.

The Wyoming Business Council (WBC) approved a Community Facility Rehabilitation grant of just under $3 million that will be used to finish the top floor of Old Stoney and restore its original purpose as an auditorium.

On Tuesday, the council passed a motion to allow Mayor Paul Brooks to sign the agreement once it is received.

It will be “fairly nice to put it to bed”, said Mayor Paul Brooks of the ongoing Old Stoney project.

After a couple of failed attempts to secure the funding, the mayor has been holding his breath that nothing will go wrong.

“At this point it seems an extremely high probability that we, in fact, will complete it – we’re not going to lose the money again,” he said.

There’s a lot to the project that wouldn’t apply to other buildings, said Brooks, which means it will take slightly longer to complete. This, he said, is because of the need for historical accuracy with the materials used and the finished look.

According to the contract deadlines, the work is to be completed by the end of 2026.