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Pueblo council hears plan for bathhouse restoration RFP; historic designation to follow winners' proposals
Summary
Councilors discussed a forthcoming request for proposals to restore the city’s bathhouse. City staff said the city will not provide funding and that any developer chosen through the RFP must secure licensed contractors and outside financing before the council will consider historic designation.
Pueblo City Councilors on Jan. 13 discussed a staff plan to issue a request for proposals to restore the city’s bathhouse and the sequence of that work relative to a historical-designation request.
Chief of Staff Brian McCain told the council the city is “working on an RFP now,” describing it as “an RFP for restoration of the bathhouse with certain benchmarks and criteria.” McCain said he would share the draft with councilors when it is complete.
Councilor Dennis Flores asked what bidders will be asked to deliver. Flores asked, “what is it that we're asking people to bid on?” McCain replied the RFP will set benchmarks and a timeline. A city staff member added, “The city won't be providing any funding,” and that interested groups would need to secure grants and licensed contractors on their own.
The councilors debated whether the city should restore the bathhouse’s historical designation before or after selecting a developer. Flores noted the council previously voted to give the building a historical designation that the mayor vetoed. He asked whether the designation would be restored as part of the RFP process. A staff member said the RFP must come first: whoever wins would then request historic preservation status from the city, because granting the designation first could leave the city with a building it could not legally alter if no one was able to fund or complete restoration.
City staff said the RFP approach aims to ensure a successful bidder can document financing, hire licensed contractors, and submit plans before the council considers designation. Staff also said asbestos testing earlier showed the building is in poor condition and that restoration would likely require “millions of dollars” in outside funding. McCain said only one group had so far expressed interest.
Flores and other councilors also asked that bidders include a structural or feasibility study as part of their RFP submissions; a staff speaker said a study will be required before any historical designation is considered.
The council did not take a formal vote on the RFP or on historical designation at the Jan. 13 work session. McCain and other staff said the RFP draft will be circulated to councilors once it is prepared.
