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    Shoshoni councilmember proposes buying town-owned parcel for economic development, workforce housing

    Only 25 percent of the employees at Shoshoni public schools actually live in the Town of Shoshoni, local officials heard last week.

    Shoshoni Town Councilmember Mike Dimick shared the statistic with the Shoshoni Town Council during a regular meeting Tuesday, Oct. 25, in order to “demonstrate the need for workforce housing” in town.

    The issue isn’t isolated to the schools, he added, pointing out that half of the people who work for town government live outside of city limits.

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    In the private sector, Dimick pointed to Wyoming Mushrooms, where 25 out of 35 employees live in town, but the “bulk of their workforce was literally imported to Shoshoni, meaning they had to come up on work visas, or they’d moved from out-of-country.”

    Dimick also spoke with a representative at the Fast Lane convenience store, who told him “they don’t have enough personnel as-is,” and once their ongoing expansion project is complete, “they anticipate striving to bring people out of Riverton as well to fill positions.”

    “The crux of the matter is, the town needs housing,” Dimick said.

    In order to address the issue and promote economic development in Shoshoni, Dimick has offered to purchase a parcel of property on the corner of Idaho and Fifth streets, where he has proposed building several new homes – either stick-built or modular.

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    The Shoshoni Town Council voted to move forward with the sale during last week’s meeting.

    The transaction will not be finalized until it is advertised and approved during a future public meeting, city staff said.

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