Alpine development proposal up for review Thursday
The Town of Alpine faces an uphill climb as it seeks approval for a Business Ready Community (BRC) grant request this week.
The Wyoming State Land and Investment Board (SLIB) will consider six BRC requests during its quarterly meeting in Cheyenne Thursday. The program provides financing foer publicly-owned infrastructure that serves the needs of business and community economic development.
Alpine is asking for a $3 million grant for a brewery waste pre-treatment system/facility and expansion of the existing Melvin Brewing Company facility. Increasing volumes of wastewater with high concentrations of organic materials and solids, generated by the brewery, have created a 20-fold increase in residential waste solids.
Alpine’s current system can’t handle the volume and, as a result, is transporting it to Afton for treatment. That is costing the town an average $20,000 per month. A pending 23,000 square foot expansion of the Melvin Brewing Company facility is also planned. The new facility will focus on packaging, shipping and office space to free up other space for expanding kitchen and tasting rooms, as well as a brew pub.
Late last year, the State Business Council Board recommended the project not be funded. The SLIB will make a final decision on the project request Thursday.
