Lovell Inc. and two local municipalities are joining forces to conduct a housing study in north Big Horn County.
Following a hearing last Thursday, Jan. 29, the Lovell Town Council voted unanimously (with councilwoman Jodi Lindsay absent) to pass a resolution in support of a grant application to the Wyoming Business Council for a planning-only grant through the Community Development Block Grant program.
Lovell Inc., via the Town of Lovell, is seeking a $12,250 grant from the Business Council as part of a $16,335 project to study housing. The grant is being matched 25 percent by the Town of Lovell -- $2,257, the Town of Cowley -- $604, and Lovell Inc. -- $1,224.
The grant and 25 percent match, if approved by the WBC, will fund a comprehensive housing assessment that would include a physical survey of “housing stock” in Lovell – identifying housing in poor condition, a housing needs assessment for the towns of Lovell and Cowley, a housing action plan and research for an economic model for housing and business development.
The assessment would be performed by Kirkham & Associates of Riverton.
The goal of the project is to identify specific needs and gaps in current housing stock, identify blighted properties and areas for potential rehabilitation, guide future growth and set priorities in the area of low-income and affordable housing, present an objective, third-party evaluation of current housing conditions and provide an economic development model to demonstrate the dependency that economic development has on available and affordable housing.
Lovell Inc. Director Sue Taylor noted that the study would eventually help the town and Lovell Inc. determine if there is any money available for infrastructure or work force housing since there would be numbers available for funding agencies to see.
She also noted that the assessment fulfills implementation strategies of the Town of Lovell Master Plan.
The grant request will go before the Business Council in June.

In other action Thursday, the town council approved a dispatching agreement with the new Big Horn County Fire District No. 5 of Deaver-Frannie and approved the mayor’s signature for the agreement. Town Administrator Bart Grant said the agreement has been reviewed by Town Attorney Sandra Kitchen.
The 5½-year agreement runs through June 30, 2014. The district will pay the Town of Lovell $100 per month for the service.

Following the council meeting, the Lovell Planning and Zoning Commission met to conduct a hearing on the Legacy Subdivision, which will be located north of the Lovell Middle School.
Grant said a number of neighborhood residents attended the hearing, and their concerns were resolved. He said most expressed concerns about roads leading into the subdivision.
The project will include 14 lots ranging in size from .25 acre to .44 acre. Developer John Schneider is providing the 25 percent match for the County Consensus Grant for infrastructure that will include water, sewer, streets, curb and gutter and electrical service. Lot purchasers will be required to pay for sidewalks, Grant said.
The town council must approve the final plat, and the project could go out to bid by the end of February, Grant added.