Committee postpones decision on Cheyenne Auxiliary Pumping Station substitute resolution
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Summary
The finance committee voted unanimously to postpone consideration of a substitute resolution concerning the Cheyenne Auxiliary Pumping Station (1504 Dillon Ave.) until the next governing body meeting on Jan. 12, citing substantial differences between an in-house substitute and a draft prepared by Historic Cheyenne and the preservation board and concerns about demolition timing and cost estimates.
The Cheyenne Finance Committee on Dec. 16 voted to postpone consideration of a substitute resolution that would repeal and relist the Cheyenne Auxiliary Pumping Station (1504 Dillon Ave.) for sale or lease with revised terms intended to facilitate redevelopment and community benefit.
Development staff presented the substitute and said consultant estimates indicate restoration costs will exceed $4,000,000. The substitute includes these key provisions described by staff: a recognition that restoration costs likely exceed $4 million; a 45-day review and recommendation period by the Historic Preservation Board before governing-body review of any modifications; a re-occupancy/search deadline of Oct. 1, 2026; a requirement that the city obtain three independent demolition estimates with add-on salvage/recovery proposals for exterior stones and roof tiles; and an offer giving Historic Cheyenne, Inc. (HCI) the opportunity to prepare Historic American Building Survey / Historic American Engineering Record documentation at HCI’s expense should demolition occur.
Milward Simpson, chair of the Cheyenne Historic Preservation Board, told the committee the substitute before the panel was not the same draft the board prepared; his group had removed language that permitted demolition and had proposed a later deadline (they had recommended 2027). Simpson also raised a procedural question about how the substitute would interact with a proposed 'sixth penny' funding measure if both measures advanced.
Committee members said they had been handed the substitute shortly before the meeting, had not had sufficient time to review it, and raised practical questions about site access and overlapping funding processes. Councilmember Wolf recommended postponement; Councilmember Esquivel moved to postpone consideration until the governing body meeting on Jan. 12, and the committee made a unanimous recommendation to the full council to continue the item then.
