The Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation is working with federal officials and Wyoming’s congressional delegation to expedite the transfer of the property where the site’s historic hospital buildings are located to the Foundation from the federal government.

Executive Director Aura Sunada Newlin, Board Chair Shirley Ann Higuchi, Vice Chair Doug Nelson and Ray Locker, director of communications and strategy, met last week with Sens. Cynthia Lummis and John Barrasso and Rep. Harriet Hageman.

The legislators, all Republicans, said they and their staffs were working with the Interior Department to speed the release of the land to HMWF. They also said they will introduce legislation to mandate the transfer if administrative options fail.

Karen Budd-Falen, the associate deputy secretary of Interior, also met with the HMWF delegation. She said she and her staff would investigate how to speed the administrative transfer.

The 73-acre tract is controlled by the federal Bureau of Reclamation, a division of the Interior. Since 2007, HMWF has cared for the land under a memorandum of understanding with BOR. HMWF board and staff have been working with BOR and the Bureau of Land Management, another Interior division, to facilitate the transfer.

Transfer of the property has gained extra urgency in recent months after four acts of vandalism in the hospital buildings. HMWF wants ownership of the property to renovate the 83-year-old buildings, remove any hazardous materials they may contain, add security measures and eventually turn the buildings into permanent exhibit spaces.

The HMWF team also met with Rep. Mark Takano, a California Democrat who is also a Heart Mountain descendant. He agreed to support the transfer and suggested possible legislative options.