Denver committee approves referral of up to $108M in COPs to replace Convention Center fire alarm; council questions work started before approval

The Finance & Governance Committee on July 8 voted to send a request to the full City Council to authorize a lease-purchase backed by Series 2025 certificates of participation (COPs) not to exceed $108,000,000 to pay for replacing the Colorado Convention Center fire alarm system.

Travis Bogan, director of the special projects and initiatives division, said the existing fire alarm system is "nearing the end of its useful life" and that replacement and backbone integration are needed to meet Denver Fire Department commitments and obtain a full certificate of occupancy for the recent expansion. "The fire alarm system is fully operational and it's inspected on a regular basis," Bogan said, but an updated integrated system is required to remove the temporary certificate of occupancy for the expansion.

City staff described the project scope as extensive: roughly 120 miles of conduit and more than 6,000 devices to be installed, a new system backbone, smoke-control integration and phased testing so portions of the…