BizWest’s Dallas Heltzell reports that the Greeley City Council voted 5 to 2 to deny Historic Greeley Inc.’s bid to declare the round City Hall at 1000 10th Street a historic building, clearing the way for demolition late next spring to make room for parking tied to the planned downtown civic campus. Council members Deb Deboutez and Tommy Butler dissented. The campus is intended to consolidate facilities for the city, Weld County, and Greeley-Evans School District 6.
According to the story, financing will use certificates of participation, with issuance likely in September. City officials said renovation of the 1968-era building would have cost 24 to 34 million dollars and still left major problems, including flooding and skylights, with little room to expand. Staff will vacate the building by the end of February so demolition can proceed.
The Bullet Point Brief
- Vote is 5–2. Historic designation denied. Deb Deboutez and Tommy Butler dissent. Demolition set for late spring to support the civic campus.
- Parking for progress. The site becomes parking for a joint city, county, and school district campus to bring more workers and spending downtown.
- Dollars and sense. Renovation was pegged at 24 to 34 million dollars with serious building issues and limited expansion potential.
- How to pay. Certificates of participation, structured to start with capitalized interest and interest-only before full debt service, within existing resources.
- Timeline moving. Staff out by end of February. Financing authorization targeted for September. Construction activity expected to boost downtown sales tax.
My Bottom Line
I appreciate this sound decision by the Greeley City Council. It is time to get on with the next chapter of downtown Greeley. This building was not historic. It was just old. Weld County and our partners held multiple public meetings on this vision. To Historic Greeley, Inc.: where were you then. The 11th hour petition was a performative, grandstanding fire drill, and the audacity to seek a designation on property you do not own is something else.
To Councilors Deb Deboutez and Tommy Butler: you lobbied me to keep the county Justice Center downtown. Then I watched you invoke downtown’s betterment while fighting Cascadia and Catalyst. Now you voted to slap a historic label on a tired building and put the entire downtown partnership at risk. I do not understand those conflicting actions, and it makes me question the judgment behind them. You are independently elected. So be it. It does temper how I approach future work with you.
Downtown Greeley deserves momentum, not a museum piece with a leaky skylight. Let us build the civic campus, add parking, welcome more workers and customers, and keep the revival moving. Forward motion beats pretense every day of the week.
Source: BizWest
When is the city of Greeley going to start improving our roads. They are horrible and the city keeps wanting more people to come, and there are alot more now, but I see NO improvement in the roads. Its a good thing we aren’t having freezing and warm spells, we’d all be driving on gravel!