(Riverton, WY) – Senator Tim Salazar met with representatives from Fremont County Ice Hockey and the Riverton Youth Soccer Association on Dec. 7 to discuss his plans to put money into the state budget for a rec center in Riverton. He plans to put in $3.5 million on a matching grant basis, which means the community would have to raise the same amount in order to get the money from the state.
“I want to say at the outset, I in no way make a promise I can get the $3.5 (million),” Salazar said. “What I do promise you is I will try and get the $3.5 (million) and put it in the state budget.”
The idea is that Fremont County Ice Hockey and Riverton Youth Soccer Association combine forces on the rec center, so there would be indoor soccer fields and an ice hockey rink, among other things, in one multi-use facility.
The meeting also included Riverton City Councilman Mike Bailey and Fremont County Commissioner Ron Fabrizius. Both will play integral parts as Salazar navigates the budget process in 2024.
Recently, the Riverton Youth Soccer Association was awarded money from Riverton’s EDGE funds and the District #25 Rec Board to purchase land by Willow Creek Elementary to develop soccer fields. They’re putting in two fields, scoreboards, and a parking lot.
Fremont County Ice Hockey President Ryan Hamilton shared he has donors willing to match funds they raise, which makes him look down the road at this project after completion.
“We have a couple of charitable funds that are sitting and just waiting for us to gain the money,” he said. “But I got to show them that I have sustainability.”
Councilman Bailey shared he believes the money to run it could come from all the different entities and organizations that can be a part of the facility.
“… different organizations all pitching in with time, money, effort, whatever, and then it works,” he said.
If our community raises $3.5 million, the money from the state will need to go to the City of Riverton. That’s a guarantee Salazar is making to the Joint Appropriations Committee (JAC). This is where support from the City of Riverton would need to come in.
The next step is for stakeholders from hockey and soccer to put together a presentation and plan to send a few folks to Cheyenne.
County 10 will keep you updated as to whether or not the funds stay in the budget.