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Council approves bid to restore and place railcars on Fifteenth Street amid sharp debate over costs and sequencing
Summary
The council accepted a bid up to $987,050 to restore historic railcars for display on Fifteenth Street and approved a general-fund backup to pay $387,200 for an alternate car; business owners urged approval as a catalyst for broader streetscape improvements while some council members opposed spending amid fiscal uncertainty.
The Cheyenne City Council approved a contract not to exceed $987,050 with Vintage Rail Restorations to perform historic exterior restoration and placement work on railcars proposed for display on Fifteenth Street, and it authorized use of general-fund reserves to pay for an alternate car’s renovation and transportation.
Councilmember Layborn presented the finance committee recommendation to accept the bid; Councilmember Seagrave moved and the council later approved an amendment to fund the alternate portion from general fund reserves. City staff explained the bid covers exterior restoration, painting and transportation; the alternate includes work to ready an additional Pullman-style car and associated welding, window replacement and transport.
The item drew extended public testimony. Downtown property owners and tenants urged approval so Fifteenth Street improvements could proceed and to avoid piecemeal implementation that they said would undercut private investment. Tyler Garrett, a downtown property owner, said the railcars are “a key part of the plan and pretty much the reason that the other improvements were considered in the first place,” and added that removing the railcars risks stalling the entire streetscape effort. Business owners and the Downtown Development Authority supporters argued improved lighting, sidewalks and a completed corridor plan would generate safety and economic benefits.
Opponents questioned the value of static railcar displays and the source of funding. Councilmember Moody and others raised concerns about the provenance and relevance of the specific cars (Southern Pacific cars from California, not Union Pacific equipment), potential vandalism and whether the expenditure was a responsible use of public funds amid state-level tax changes. Councilmember Aldridge and others said the council has not had a market analysis demonstrating projected visitation or return on investment and noted prior project costs for site preparation had been higher in some estimates.
Finance details discussed in the meeting: committee staff said stopping the project now could require refunding $219,626 to a federal grant and an estimated $100,000 to relocate cars, for a combined near-term cost of roughly $319,626; the amendment to fund the alternate was estimated at $387,200 drawn from general fund reserves. City officials said $450,000 of the EDA grant funds remained available to offset costs, and staff noted the city’s general reserves were roughly $31 million at the time of discussion.
The amendment to fund the alternate passed (three council members recorded as voting no on the amendment), and the overall bid award passed. Doctor Aldridge, Mister Layborn and Mister Moody recorded no votes on the final approval.
