ALTA, Wyo. — The Teton County Board of County Commissioners purchased a roughly five-and-a-half acre property in Alta for $1.6 million to build a Fire/EMS station.
Historically, the county has contracted with Teton County, Idaho, to to provide fire and emergency medical services to the Alta community, but due to increasing need, the county has made the decision to transition away from contracting these services.
“Purchasing the parcel at 205 Alta North Road is the first step in being able to provide the Alta community with a centrally located facility that will allow for improved response time and better quality of service to residents in the area,” states a press release issued by the county.
The property is currently zoned agriculture R-2 and R-5, which allows for agricultural use and single-family residential homes.
The county entered a buy/sell agreement with the property owners on March 21. On April 18 the sellers requested a 30-day extension, bringing closing to May 18.
Commissioners met in executive sessions to discuss the sale. The information was made public when the closing documents appeared on the May 15 agenda.
“Under Wyoming Statute §16-4-405(a)(vii) the board can go into executive session to consider the selection of a site or the purchase of real estate when the publicity regarding the consideration would cause a likelihood of an increase in price,” Chief Deputy County Attorney Keith Gingery told Buckrail.
The County says they will work with the Alta community through public engagement opportunities to “ensure the facility best meets the needs of the community.”
According to the press release, the intended use is for future county needs, “including, but not limited to, emergency response for the greater Alta area.”
“Due to other projects that have already been identified as priorities, the Alta project is not likely to begin for quite some time,” the county said.
