Phase two of the HIVIZ Shooting System is set to begin design after City Council unanimously approved the pre-construction agreement on Tuesday.
During a special meeting last September, the council reviewed a grant agreement between the city and the Wyoming Business Council for a $3 million Business Ready Community grant for HIVIZ approved by the Wyoming State Loan and Investment Board.
While no city funds will be used for the project, Laramie Mayor Andi Summerville said the city was able to contribute in other ways.
“We receive the funds, we cash flowed the project, we are obliged to meet all of the requirements of the grant program set forth in the grant agreement,” she said. “It is really our grant on behalf of the LCBA.”
The grant is slated to fund a 20,000 square foot building, which is part of HIVIZ’s plans for a five-building campus on its approximately 7 acre site at 620 Adams St. According to the council agenda document, the total budget of the construction project is projected at $724,409.
Analyst Sam Farstad confirmed that the city had mainly contributed to the project with staff time.
“Simply put, it is 100 percent revenue offset, so it is a project that, in its totality, is funded through the grant,” he said. “The city’s only contribution comes from staff input and time.”
HIVIZ Shooting systems moved its operations from Fort Collins to Laramie in 2013 due to Wyoming being a more “gun-friendly” state.
“The relocation is rooted in Colorado’s recent tightening of its gun control laws, and the company announced Apr.1, 2013, that it would pursue a new location more supportive of its products and customers,” according to the HIVIZ statement.
Councilor Charles McKinney asked the council why HIVIZ is getting money from grants.
“Why are we getting money for a business that can’t get their own money?” he said.
Laramie City Manager Janine Jordan said the Wyoming Business Council operates a business ready community grant and loan program through funds allocated by the Legislature in order to create new jobs in the private sector.
“They will receive this grant from the state that we passed through and they can build a headquarters so they can expand their business and create jobs,” she said. “The theory behind the Business Council program is that the public investment will create business growth that would not otherwise be created.”
Though HIVIZ owns the land, Jordan said they will lease the new building and eventually buy it.
“We’re just taking advantage of the program the state already has in place,” Jordan said. “Only the city is an eligible applicant. What they get is an extraordinary financing opportunity.”
