Visitors board approves six grants, discusses special meeting for budget

CHEYENNE COUNTY – The Cheyenne County Visitors Committee (CCVC) approved six grants and discussed scheduling a special meeting for its 2023-2024 budget.

At the end of the meeting, the visitors board voted to host its 2023-2024 budget meeting the same evening of its next regularly scheduled meeting. The 2023-2024 budget meeting will take place on August 14 starting after the regularly scheduled meeting; the regularly scheduled meeting will begin at 5 p.m.

Cheyenne County Clerk Beth Fiegenschuh attended the meeting to help explain proper accounting procedures the visitors committee is legally required to follow as a county board.

Essentially, Fiegenschuh explained organizations seeking grants, such as 501c3 nonprofits, have to be the ones which cut the checks for the money they were granted.

As an example, Fiegenschuh used the Elks Lodge renovation grants currently being pursued by Way Out West because they are a 501c3, which means when the Elks Lodge pays a contractor, such as the company replacing its windows, the check itself is from Way Out West.

Another example of how this works is the 501c3 Potter Community Improvement (PCI) nonprofit which funds the Potter Community Hall renovation; the village uses the two separate entities for accounting purposes. The Village of Potter doesn't pay the vendors, PCI does and PCI are the ones applying for the grants and paying the vendors for the various improvements.

During its regularly scheduled meeting on July 5, CCVC approved the following grants:

Lodgepole 99th Old Settlers Days Promotion Grant Request for $4,861;

Way Out West Elks Improvement Grant request for Elks Lodge No. 1894 Renovation project for $20,000. The grant will go for bathrooms and windows for phase one and visible improvements will be done first;

Potter Lions Club Event Incentive Grant Request for Potter Days for $2,000 to add bibs for runners in race, more corn-hole;

Potter Lions Club Event Incentive Grant request for PNCC Motocross event for $6,000 to add more riders, about 45, course improvements and sun tents among other minor improvements;

Potter Improvement Committee Improvement Grant Request for Potter Community Hall Renovation Project for $15,000; and

Cheyenne County Fair Board Improvement Grant Reimbursement Request for $4,500.

According to the Visitors Committee director, the tin roof creative district is moving forward with its project and is on time. Additionally, she informed the board the Lincoln Highway Committee wants to clean up the Lincoln Highway signs in Cheyenne County and hopefully have Potter become a “hub city” for their events by 2025.

Visitors Committee Chairwoman Brooke DeNovellis brought up the Sidney Holzfaster billboards off of the Interstate 80 (I-80) to do a deal for the billboards to attract more visitors for the county. She also discussed rebranding the Exit 59 logo on billboards into something more attractive.

The next regularly scheduled meeting will be August 14 starting at 5 p.m. For more information visit the visitors center in Sidney.