THANKS TO OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS
CASPER, Wyo. — The Natrona County School District 1 Board of Trustees approved contracts totaling more than $490,000 for food supplies and a new elementary school playground, while also accepting a $100,000 donation for mental health programs.
The board voted to award a contract for dairy supplies in the 2026–27 school year to US Foods of Denver, which submitted the low bid of $341,620. According to a district memo, the purchase will be financed through the district’s Food Service Fund.
In other business, trustees awarded a $148,886.48 contract to Lucky Dog Recreation for a turf court playground project at Paradise Valley Elementary. The project was procured through the Northeast Wyoming Board of Cooperative Educational Services.
Funding for the playground project was previously allocated by the board within the fiscal year 2024 budget’s Capital Projects Fund. The proposal underwent a technical review by Lee Nix, the director of maintenance, construction and facilities, along with Tyler Dahlgren, the supervisor of landscape and support services, before receiving the superintendent’s recommendation.
In addition to the contracts that the school district awarded for the pair of projects, the school district also received a $100,000 donation for mental health initiatives.
The grant, awarded by the Natrona Collective Health Trust, aims to help the district expand its current services and more effectively address the mental health needs of its students, Superintendent Angela Hensley stated in a district memo. The project will be conducted in partnership with the Jae Foundation.
Hensley said the school district intends to use the funding to address the evolving needs of the student population while strengthening existing support structures.
