The Wyoming Game and Fish Department continues to work on providing much-needed housing for employees assigned to work from the Jackson Region office, with hopes to break ground on the project in August. Like many Jackson-based agencies and organizations, Game and Fish has faced significant problems with employee recruitment and retention due to the ever-increasing cost of housing in Teton County.
In 2019 the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission explored the option of moving the regional office out of Jackson due to the extremely high cost of housing in the area. However, there was support from the community for Game and Fish to maintain a strong presence and retain the office.
In 2021, after an exhaustive review of locations to potentially build housing, the Commission decided to build on the northeast corner of the Commission-owned South Park Wildlife Habitat Management Area (WHMA) along Wyoming Highway 89, approximately five miles south of Jackson. Development on this particular portion of the WHMA will not impact high-value wildlife habitat or the Department's management of wintering elk. At this time the project calls for the construction of six single-family houses and one multi-occupant house for temporary employees.
The Department started working with Teton County on this project in 2021. After several meetings with Teton County Commissioners and their planning staff, the county and the Department agreed the best approach would be for the Game and Fish Commission to exempt itself from formal land development regulations as allowed by Wyoming Statute. However, Game and Fish is committed to working closely with the county and other stakeholders to ensure the project meets the agency’s employee housing needs and the vision of the community. Game and Fish also will work with Teton County to ensure the project meets health and fire safety requirements.
The Commission has contracted with Jorgensen Associates, Inc. for design and project oversight, and Dick Anderson Construction as the Construction Manager, both based in Jackson. Recently, the Commission and Dick Anderson Construction came to an agreement of $12.2 million as the Guaranteed Maximum Price for the project.
The Commission has been setting aside money for several years to complete high-priority projects such as this. No State of Wyoming general funds will be used on the project.
“We have come a long way on this project and are confident we will be able to develop a small housing complex that everyone will be happy with,” said Game and Fish Deputy Director John Kennedy. “It’s very gratifying to see the efforts of so many coming closer to fruition. The public urged the Commission to maintain a strong presence in Jackson, and this project is critical in order to do that.”
