When the Central Wasatch Commission was founded in 2016, it began implementing the proposals identified in four major issue areas as part of the Mountain Accord charter: transportation, economic viability, environmental sustainability, and recreation stewardship.
Now the government entity has $95,000 this fiscal year to award to communities and nonprofit organizations that focus on those project areas.
CWC Executive Director Lindsey Nielsen says the grant money comes from the member jurisdictions, including Summit County and Park City Municipal.
The grant request must meet at least one of the four focus areas and be used within the CWC’s study area - which includes both the Wasatch Front and Back.
“The ethos of the short-term project grant program is that these projects are short term, right? So, the idea is to assist or fully fund projects that are not multi-year or hugely involved projects. They are projects that can be done within the upcoming work season, or within one full calendar year of receiving the funding from the CWC,” Nielsen said.
Nielsen says Park City Municipal’s tentative plan to clean up the mine soils that were stored at the Gordo site off state Route 248 and build a park and ride there, could likely meet the grant requirements.
“If it hits one of those four focus areas, which it does, that would pretty clearly be an environmental protection, remediation project and a transit project,” she said. “So there, it fulfills those criteria. It's within the CWC study area. So, that criteria, yeah. The kicker might be how fast that project is aimed to be completed. If it's completed within one calendar year of receiving funds, then I don’t see why not. That sounds like a great proposal.”
Previous recipients have included Recycle Utah’s Dumpster Days and Household Hazardous collection efforts. Grant money has also been used to fund the Transit to Trails shuttle program that takes hikers, bikers and skiers from Park City to Bonanza Flat in the summer and winter.
The deadline to apply for funding is March 25 and Nielsen says the process will move quickly to get the money into the right hands.
“We have a selection committee review the initial group of applicants, then the finalist pool goes on to our short-term projects committee, which is composed of CWC commissioners. And final decisions for proposals will be made at the May CWC board meeting. Applicants who are successfully approved for funding can expect to get their granted funds following that meeting. So, mid to late May.”
For more information or to apply for a grant, click here.
In addition to the grant program, Nielsen says they are moving their headquarters to a new location in May and have just released the visitor use study. You can find the link here.
