The purchase agreement for the Pilot Hill Project has been amended to extend the closing date six months to March 2019, according to a press release.

The Albany County Commission originally signed the agreement for the purchase of 5,500 acres of private land located east of Laramie. The price was set at $10.5 million after an appraisal earlier this year.

Since then, the Pilot Hill Project Committee has been working to raise the funds for the purchase and maintence of the land. The effort has raised almost $750,000 from more than 550 supporters as of publication time. An additional estimated $5 million will be needed to build and maintain public access to the land, in the form of parking lots and trails.

Though the original deadline could not be met, an outpouring of support helped the commission receive the extension.

"We want to thank everyone who has donated or pledged their support for the project" said Senator Chris Rothfuss in a press release. He then added that "The community's involvement over the last year has been tremendous, and its ongoing support will be key to the success of the Pilot Hill Project moving forward."

In addition to the money already raised for the purchase, the Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments is looking into a land swap of landlocked parcels elswhere in the county in exchange for some or all of the Pilot Hill land.

For more information about the Pilot Hill Project, click here.

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