Eagle County projects awarded more than $2.3 million in federal community project funding

Projects in Eagle County have received a total of $2,309,752 in federal community project funding.

Rep. Joe Neguse, who represents most of Eagle County, secured the funding as part of the first set of government funding bills signed into law March 9 by President Joe Biden. The funding includes $959,752 to help upgrade and expand the town of Gypsum’s wastewater treatment plant, $850,000 to support the renovation of the Edwards Early Learning Center, and $500,000 for the Eagle County Regional Airport. 

“I am proud to have fought to secure funding that will help make Eagle County healthier, safer, and stronger — investing in community-based projects that expand access to clean drinking water, support the development of local infants and toddlers through high-quality preschool, and help ease travel for residents and visitors of Eagle County,” Neguse said. “All of these projects meet community growth and economic development needs, and I am excited to see them make a difference for folks in Gypsum, Edwards, Vail, and beyond.”

“Eagle County families are grateful to Congressman Neguse for championing our cause,” said Phil Qualman, superintendent of Eagle County Schools. “Expanding the Edwards Early Learning Center will help address the significant need for more affordable preschool in our community.” 

“We’re thankful for the support of our congressional delegation, including Congressman Joe Neguse and Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet,” Gypsum Town Manager Jeremy Rietmann added. “Federal funding support like this is vital for maintaining reliable wastewater infrastructure and reducing some of the costs that would otherwise fall on local ratepayers.”

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Projects

Gypsum wastewater treatment plant

The overall project will support the installation of an influent lift station with overflow storage, upgrade of a headworks building to house new mechanical screens and provide grit removal, the addition of secondary process basins and clarifiers for treating wastewater to meet effluent requirements of Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Regulation 85, a new secondary process building and related equipment, and upgrading of filtration and disinfection equipment. 

Edwards Early Learning Center

This funding will support the renovation of the Edwards Early Learning Center. As needs in the community grow, this federal funding will help the center serve an additional 129 students. The Edwards Early Learning Center currently includes two infant, two toddler and 10 preschool classrooms. This funding will support the completion of the center by adding preschool classrooms and expanding its capacity to serve a greater number of local infants and toddlers. 

Eagle County Regional Airport

The Federal Inspection Station project would accommodate the growing demand for international travel by residents and visitors of Eagle County, as well as relieving international traffic and processing for understaffed customs operations at Denver International Airport and reducing Interstate 70 vehicular traffic from Denver.