Thursday, April 2, 2026 |
Photo – Caboose at Medicine Bow Museum – by Matt Copeland Bigfoot99
A Laramie-based contractor will repaint the Medicine Bow Museum this summer.
During the March 9th Medicine Bow Town Council meeting, officials discussed selecting a contractor to paint the exterior of the town museum. The job would be funded through a grant that the town has not yet received.
Clerk and Treasurer Karen Heath said three painters had submitted bids for the project, adding that the town must select a contractor so Deputy Clerk Alice Clark can submit a Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund grant application. Clark said the bids covered different amounts of work, so she was not prepared to make a recommendation on her own.
Public Works Director Brian Lashley said the painting project was put out for open bid, but only three contractors submitted proposals.
Deputy Clerk Alice Clark said the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund grant will require a 50 percent match from the town. The Friends of the Medicine Bow Museum have $3,000 available for the match if necessary. However, Clark said she will apply for a separate Union Pacific grant to cover the match, a step the Cultural Trust Fund has already approved.
Clark said she needs the Town Council to select a painter before she can submit the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund grant application, saying the grant amount will be based on the job price.
Councilwoman Crystal Mayfield asked if Union Pacific would be informed that its grant funding would serve as the match for another grant rather than the painting project itself. Deputy Clerk Alice Clark said she would not mislead the railroad company.
If Union Pacific denies the town’s application, Clark said Medicine Bow Museum Director Dawndee Yocom has authorized using the Friends of the Museum’s $3,000 donation for the Cultural Trust Fund match. Any remaining funds could be raised through museum fundraisers. However, the deputy clerk said she doesn’t actually know how much money the museum has available for the grant match.
Treasurer Karen Heath said the Medicine Bow Museum has roughly $900 left in its annual budget. Heath added that the town did not allocate additional funding for the unanticipated painting project.
Mayor Justin George brought the conversation back to selecting a painter, saying the governing body must make a decision in order for Deputy Clerk Alice Clark to submit the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund grant application. Mayor George asked the governing body for their opinions on the three proposals.
Councilwoman Kristi Wickizer immediately dismissed the most expensive bid, saying it was nearly twice as much as the other two. Deputy Clerk Clark said the high price included the cost of priming the museum before painting.
Treasurer Karen Heath noted that one of the contractors is requesting to be paid in installments, something that may not be possible under the Cultural Trust Fund grant. Clark responded that she expects the town to receive 50 percent of the total grant up front.
Councilwoman Crystal Mayfield noted that two of the three contractors required payment as the job progressed rather than upon completion. Mayor Justin George said he prefers to avoid paying in installments because contractors are more likely to leave a job unfinished once they have received enough money.
Only one contractor, Hento’s Building and Repair of Laramie, is requesting full payment after the job is finished. Public Works Director Brian Lashley added that the same contractor recently poured a concrete slab at the museum and did a good job.
The Medicine Bow Town Council voted to approve Hento’s Building and Repair’s bid to repaint the town’s museum, contingent on receiving the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund grant.
