Finance committee backs $198,903 design contract to repurpose Cheyenne’s historic pump house
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Summary
The City of Cheyenne finance committee recommended the city proceed with a $198,903 design agreement with TDSI to convert the historic pump house into offices and storage for the Clean and Safe team, while asking that the revised scope exhibits be reviewed by the city attorney before final council approval.
The City of Cheyenne’s finance committee on Feb. 18 recommended that the governing body approve a $198,903 professional services agreement with TDSI to design the repurposing of the historic pump house for the city’s Clean and Safe division.
Jason Sanchez, Community Recreation and Events director, told the committee the Clean and Safe team comprises four full-time employees who now work from makeshift space in the Spiker Garage and store equipment across multiple locations. Sanchez said the proposed design would provide office space, a break room, restroom facilities and storage for vehicles and tools, and that some work previously completed by TDSI would be incorporated into the new scope. He said the design could be finished by July and that construction costs would be brought back to council for approval.
Sanchez outlined prior work with TDSI: an earlier design contract of $439,539 that had $138,702.20 spent before it was terminated for lack of a tenant. He said $300,000 remained from that original allocation and the $198,903 request would come from that balance.
Councilman Wolf, who helped redraft the scope with staff and preservation stakeholders, said the revised exhibit adds photographs showing what will be preserved and what will be demolished, clarifies access, and addresses fencing and landscaping. “There’s a lot of interest in this,” Wolf said, noting an open house with more than 200 attendees.
During public comment, Megan Stanfill, executive director of the Alliance for Historic Wyoming, urged the city to retain the building for public benefit and reported that a November tour found 127 attendees favored keeping the pump house standing and two opposed. Mary Kallis of Historic Cheyenne Inc. also voiced support.
Several committee members pressed for formal review by the city attorney of the revised exhibits and scope. Deputy City Attorney David Hopkinson said the exhibits should be reviewed along with the contract’s attachments; supporters of the motion said the underlying contract language previously reviewed by the city attorney would not change and recommended action be taken by the committee while staff obtains attorney sign-off before the council meeting.
After debate, the committee voted to recommend approval of the contract to the full governing body. The committee’s recommendation does not itself finalize the contract; the city attorney review and final council vote remain next steps.
