Latest news with #CheyenneCityCouncil
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Two Cheyenne sites to be studied for potential new passenger rail station
CHEYENNE – As conversations of passenger rail service returning to Colorado's front range progress, Cheyenne continues to prepare for how it may be able to tack onto the north end of the proposed railway service. On Friday, members of the Cheyenne City Council heard a presentation from Quandel Consultants, which has partnered with the Cheyenne Metropolitan Planning Organization in identifying a potential site for a new passenger rail service station in Cheyenne. Of six potential locations and plan that have been tossed into the mixer, only two remain. Randy Grauberger, a senior rail consultant for Quandel, broke those two down for the city's governing body Friday afternoon. Grauberger said he could see Cheyenne becoming a rail service hub, potentially. This is rooted in conversations of several different passenger rail projects across the country involving Cheyenne. This includes the proposed Front Range Passenger Rail service which, if realized, would connect Pueblo, Colorado, to Fort Collins, Colorado, via Denver on a BNSF Railway line. That same line runs north through Casper and Billings, Montana, via Cheyenne, which could be possibilities for passenger rail service if the project extends. Grauberger described two other projects on Union Pacific lines that could connect Salt Lake City to the Minneapolis area via Cheyenne and Rapid City, South Dakota, and another line down to Denver from Cheyenne via Greeley, Colorado, also from Salt Lake City. 'That puts Cheyenne as a hub, almost, for passenger rail service if you get Front Range Passenger Rail and then three different Amtrak routes also coming through, again, there's no certainty that those will occur, but they have been identified in a federal plan.' With momentum growing for these projects and significant federal funding available, Grauberger outlined two potential sites for Cheyenne to plant its roots back into passenger rail service, saying he recalls the last passenger rail car in Cheyenne dating back to around 30 years ago. Reed Avenue Rail Corridor In the heart of the city's West Edge revitalization efforts, Grauberger proposed two alternatives for the Reed Avenue Rail Corridor Site. One option, which he called the 'steam plant' alternative, would see a stretch of new rail constructed 30 feet to the west of the existing BNSF tracks running through the corridor north of 20th Street, penetrating through the historic steam plant. passenger rail station 2 Diagram A Grauberger said this alternative would require renovating the steam plant, which is not included in the estimated $26.7 million to $28.2 million price tag, based on the valuation of the U.S. dollar in 2023. Indicated by a brown rectangle in Diagram A, the single-level station itself would be north of the existing steam plant, indicated in light blue, and offer baggage handling, concessions, a waiting area and a covered canopy. The pink line denotes passenger access where cars or buses could drop passengers off at the station, and the yellow rectangle to the west would be a two-story parking structure. However, this plan poses the highest budget risk, Grauberger said, as it would involve an uncertain steam plant renovation and acquisition of seven parcels of land. He proposed an alternative that is slightly less expensive, does not involve a steam plant renovation and only requires the acquisition of three parcels of land. This alternative has a similar concept but instead of running through the steam plant, the rail car would load or unload passengers at the same station site and then park in a stub track to the west of the existing BNSF line if there were any oncoming freight traffic. Grauberger said there are typically only two or three freight trains per week utilizing this section of BNSF track. A stub track is a spur track or siding that dead-ends, meaning it will sit parallel to the line and pull back onto the main track when it is ready to service passengers. Diagram B indicates the stub track would line up near the east side of the steam plant and go south nearly to Lincolnway. Passenger rail station 3 Diagram B This alternative leaves the possibility for the steam plant to be renovated privately as part of the Reed Avenue beautification efforts. Grauberger said this alternative would cost an estimated $24.1 to $25.1 million, also using estimates based on the value of the U.S. dollar in 2023. 'A lot of the support was the fact that everybody's excited about Reed Avenue corridor, with or without a passenger station, but they felt that with the station that even just provides extra energy and excitement for a renovated Reed Avenue corridor and all the other exciting things that the city is anticipating,' he said. Old Happy Jack Road The second location is the more expensive of the two sites but also poses the lowest budget risk due to its location and the fact it would not require parcel acquisition as the city already owns the land. This would be a little further to the west at the intersection of Missile Drive and Old Happy Jack Road. Indicated in diagram C, the new platform is shown in the thin orange line parallel to the existing BNSF track. As in the other diagrams, the brown rectangle would be where the new station is, and the pink line would be for vehicle pick-up and drop-off access. passenger rail station site 1 Diagram C The thicker orange line would be an extension of Grant Avenue, connecting Old Happy Jack Road to Missile Drive, and the gray triangle to its east would be single-story parking. Grauberger said that while there is less development in this area, it would accommodate some of the development to its south as multiple hotels have opened in the area recently in the Old Hitching Post Urban Renewal Area. However, the land here is uneven and would require some earthwork and a two-story train station. As a result, the price tag for this site is estimated to cost $30.9 million in 2023 estimates. Similar to the other station option, it would also offer baggage handling, concessions, a waiting area and a covered canopy. Additionally, this location would require an elevator for accessibility to the second story. Next steps The timeline for this project is currently unclear. Grauberger said that if the Front Range Passenger Rail project is approved, it could be connected to Fort Collins by 2029. He estimated it could take an additional four years after that to get a connection to Cheyenne. In total, this project would require municipal and county collaboration as well as working with the Colorado state government and the federal government to finalize planning and secure funding sources. Quandel provided five recommendations to the Cheyenne City Council moving forward: * Site the station as close as practical to downtown Cheyenne; * Continue to study and develop Old Happy Jack Road and Reed Avenue Corridor sites; * Stay engaged with the Front Range Passenger Rail District and submit an application to enter the Cheyenne Extension into the FRA Corridor Identification and Development Program; * Continue to stay in communication and share information with BNSF, UP, and Amtrak; and * Stay engaged with FRA and Amtrak as the FRA moves any Long Distance Service Study recommendations forward.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Two Cheyenne sites to be studied for potential new passenger rail station
CHEYENNE – As conversations of passenger rail service returning to Colorado's front range progress, Cheyenne continues to prepare for how it may be able to tack onto the north end of the proposed railway service. On Friday, members of the Cheyenne City Council heard a presentation from Quandel Consultants, which has partnered with the Cheyenne Metropolitan Planning Organization in identifying a potential site for a new passenger rail service station in Cheyenne. Of six potential locations and plan that have been tossed into the mixer, only two remain. Randy Grauberger, a senior rail consultant for Quandel, broke those two down for the city's governing body Friday afternoon. Grauberger said he could see Cheyenne becoming a rail service hub, potentially. This is rooted in conversations of several different passenger rail projects across the country involving Cheyenne. This includes the proposed Front Range Passenger Rail service which, if realized, would connect Pueblo, Colorado, to Fort Collins, Colorado, via Denver on a BNSF Railway line. That same line runs north through Casper and Billings, Montana, via Cheyenne, which could be possibilities for passenger rail service if the project extends. Grauberger described two other projects on Union Pacific lines that could connect Salt Lake City to the Minneapolis area via Cheyenne and Rapid City, South Dakota, and another line down to Denver from Cheyenne via Greeley, Colorado, also from Salt Lake City. 'That puts Cheyenne as a hub, almost, for passenger rail service if you get Front Range Passenger Rail and then three different Amtrak routes also coming through, again, there's no certainty that those will occur, but they have been identified in a federal plan.' With momentum growing for these projects and significant federal funding available, Grauberger outlined two potential sites for Cheyenne to plant its roots back into passenger rail service, saying he recalls the last passenger rail car in Cheyenne dating back to around 30 years ago. Reed Avenue Rail Corridor In the heart of the city's West Edge revitalization efforts, Grauberger proposed two alternatives for the Reed Avenue Rail Corridor Site. One option, which he called the 'steam plant' alternative, would see a stretch of new rail constructed 30 feet to the west of the existing BNSF tracks running through the corridor north of 20th Street, penetrating through the historic steam plant. passenger rail station 2 Diagram A Grauberger said this alternative would require renovating the steam plant, which is not included in the estimated $26.7 million to $28.2 million price tag, based on the valuation of the U.S. dollar in 2023. Indicated by a brown rectangle in Diagram A, the single-level station itself would be north of the existing steam plant, indicated in light blue, and offer baggage handling, concessions, a waiting area and a covered canopy. The pink line denotes passenger access where cars or buses could drop passengers off at the station, and the yellow rectangle to the west would be a two-story parking structure. However, this plan poses the highest budget risk, Grauberger said, as it would involve an uncertain steam plant renovation and acquisition of seven parcels of land. He proposed an alternative that is slightly less expensive, does not involve a steam plant renovation and only requires the acquisition of three parcels of land. This alternative has a similar concept but instead of running through the steam plant, the rail car would load or unload passengers at the same station site and then park in a stub track to the west of the existing BNSF line if there were any oncoming freight traffic. Grauberger said there are typically only two or three freight trains per week utilizing this section of BNSF track. A stub track is a spur track or siding that dead-ends, meaning it will sit parallel to the line and pull back onto the main track when it is ready to service passengers. Diagram B indicates the stub track would line up near the east side of the steam plant and go south nearly to Lincolnway. Passenger rail station 3 Diagram B This alternative leaves the possibility for the steam plant to be renovated privately as part of the Reed Avenue beautification efforts. Grauberger said this alternative would cost an estimated $24.1 to $25.1 million, also using estimates based on the value of the U.S. dollar in 2023. 'A lot of the support was the fact that everybody's excited about Reed Avenue corridor, with or without a passenger station, but they felt that with the station that even just provides extra energy and excitement for a renovated Reed Avenue corridor and all the other exciting things that the city is anticipating,' he said. Old Happy Jack Road The second location is the more expensive of the two sites but also poses the lowest budget risk due to its location and the fact it would not require parcel acquisition as the city already owns the land. This would be a little further to the west at the intersection of Missile Drive and Old Happy Jack Road. Indicated in diagram C, the new platform is shown in the thin orange line parallel to the existing BNSF track. As in the other diagrams, the brown rectangle would be where the new station is, and the pink line would be for vehicle pick-up and drop-off access. passenger rail station site 1 Diagram C The thicker orange line would be an extension of Grant Avenue, connecting Old Happy Jack Road to Missile Drive, and the gray triangle to its east would be single-story parking. Grauberger said that while there is less development in this area, it would accommodate some of the development to its south as multiple hotels have opened in the area recently in the Old Hitching Post Urban Renewal Area. However, the land here is uneven and would require some earthwork and a two-story train station. As a result, the price tag for this site is estimated to cost $30.9 million in 2023 estimates. Similar to the other station option, it would also offer baggage handling, concessions, a waiting area and a covered canopy. Additionally, this location would require an elevator for accessibility to the second story. Next steps The timeline for this project is currently unclear. Grauberger said that if the Front Range Passenger Rail project is approved, it could be connected to Fort Collins by 2029. He estimated it could take an additional four years after that to get a connection to Cheyenne. In total, this project would require municipal and county collaboration as well as working with the Colorado state government and the federal government to finalize planning and secure funding sources. Quandel provided five recommendations to the Cheyenne City Council moving forward: * Site the station as close as practical to downtown Cheyenne; * Continue to study and develop Old Happy Jack Road and Reed Avenue Corridor sites; * Stay engaged with the Front Range Passenger Rail District and submit an application to enter the Cheyenne Extension into the FRA Corridor Identification and Development Program; * Continue to stay in communication and share information with BNSF, UP, and Amtrak; and * Stay engaged with FRA and Amtrak as the FRA moves any Long Distance Service Study recommendations forward.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
City of Cheyenne considers $4 million restoration of 133-year-old pumphouse
CHEYENNE — The historic pumphouse in downtown Cheyenne was constructed in 1892 and has been out of commission since 1920. Now, the city is considering spending an estimated $4 million to renovate it and lease it out. Last year, this was one of Cheyenne City Council's top priorities. On Friday, members of the governing body met to hear updates on the project. Randy Byers, the principal architect with design firm TDSi, gave a presentation about the historic pumphouse and potential ways to pursue the idea. From the outside, he said, the building looks like it's on its last leg and about to crumble. However, Byers said, its condition is not as bad as it seems. 'It looks like it's about ready to come down,' he said. 'Honestly, every time we are at the building, doing more reconnaissance and field measurement and an examination of the building, each time I am more amazed at what good shape overall the structure of the building is in.' He said there are no stress cracks in the brick walls, which is common in other buildings with similar bricks, and that some roof members are charred from fires through the years, which has possibly protected the rest of the wood. 'Overall, the building is in resoundingly good shape for its age and for what it's been through, and it is certainly worthy of examination and consideration for repurposing and restoration,' he said. The pumphouse is constructed in the Richardsonian Romanesque architecture style, the same as the historic Cheyenne Depot, and currently is around 3,800 square feet. When the building was first put into use, it pulled water from Crow Creek, and there was a 2.5-million-gallon concrete-lined reservoir on the west side of the building. In the heart of the pumphouse was a Holly duplex steam pump. When in commission, the pump produced 2 million gallons of water per day and pressurized the fire hydrants in town to 100 psi. Before telephones were available at the facility, the fire department would ring a bell when they needed the pressure upped at fire hydrants. Byers said the facility was manned and operated nearly 24 hours per day. Byers said his team was mindful of preserving and restoring the history of the structure in putting together the renovation plan, while also working with the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce, which is interested in leasing the space when renovated, to meet the needs of its offices. This plan includes tenant offices, workstations, restrooms and a large conference room. Byers said he anticipates utilizing the large attic space for mechanical equipment storage. The original roofing on the building was tin shingles, and Byers said his team has found sources to replace the shingles exactly as they were on the original building. However, the full renovation of this structure will be costly, and the governing body is unsure of all funding sources at this point. Currently there are no utilities connected to or in the building. It will need all new mechanical, electrical, interior restoration, stone renovation, roof replacement, roof reinforcement, reconstruction of the overhangs that have been cut off and brackets that have been removed to bring the building close to its original appearance. The $4 million cost estimate includes a little over $500,000 in built-in contingency. Another option would be to mothball the building, supporting it enough that it doesn't suffer further degradation or vandalism, but not prepare it for a tenant to move in. This is estimated to cost around $1 million. Byers said the greatest danger for this building in the near future, if not renovated, is that it could suffer the same fate as the old Hitching Post Inn. Not necessarily arson, he said, but if a squatter starts a fire in the building to stay warm in the winter, it could quickly get out of hand and take down the structure. The decision of whether to renovate, mothball or do nothing at all, will come before the City Council when TDSi has completed its contract for construction drawings on the project. If council members decide to move forward with renovations, bidding for the project could then begin. Several council members asked questions and proposed ideas regarding the project. Council member Tom Segrave suggested the city consider adding amenities for the Cheyenne Greenway at the site, like a water station and a solar-powered bicycle tire air pump. Council member Pete Laybourn suggested the city consider addressing the adjacent wetlands as part of this project, ultimately tidying the area up to further invest in West Edge revitalization at the intersection of the west end of 15th Street and the Reed Avenue Rail Corridor. 'This kind of multi-million-dollar investment deserves adjacent effort in that area,' he said. The city approved a $424,00 contract with TDSi last September to complete construction documents for the historic pumphouse.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Belvoir Ranch plans reviewed as trails set to open this summer
CHEYENNE — The Cheyenne City Council received an update on the Belvoir Ranch master plan Friday, including details about recreational trail access opening this summer and potential for more developments in the future. Currently, recreational access is set to open this summer on the northern side of the city-owned ranch, which includes a 17-mile trail system. The city is still trying to figure out ways to get trail access south of the Union Pacific rail line that runs through the property. Options include building a bridge over the rail line, which is more expensive, or an underpass beneath the railroad, which is more cost-effective but more difficult to negotiate with Union Pacific. 'The current effort, which I understand, is not with the bridge, but rather is with the underpass,' said council member Pete Laybourn. 'So I think that is a very important part of this effort. In fact, I think to a lot of people like me, probably the most important aspect of how we reach the Big Hole, and all the really, very high-quality recreation is there.' The original master plan completion date was scheduled for summer 2024, but that was postponed to refine implementation measures. It was largely complete by September, but green property availability and possible scope refinement pushed that to December. The master plan update was presented by AVI Senior Planner Mark Christensen. He presented how the plan has evolved from the original 2008 master plan and what things may look like going forward. Some things from the original plan are set to move forward, like missile site monument signage, gated entry and wildlife viewing. Other things from the original plan, like equestrian trailheads, however, are no longer in the updated master plan. Challenges other than the railroad for recreational access also include cellular reception and funding opportunities. Christensen added that it will be important to take inventory of plants and wildlife to understand how future trail construction may impact the area. When asked about trail maintenance, Christensen said the city would likely have to rely on some volunteers at first, but it is something the city should consider more going forward. He said grazing will still be important for wildlife control, and the city is considering creating campsites, which will likely be primitive and not suitable for recreational vehicles. Notable historical assets in the area include old Atlas missile silos, teepee rings, indigenous artifacts, homestead locations and a famous outlaw cabin. Christensen said it was expensive to fully restore the missile silos and said the plan indicates the city should just look at including light interpretive signage, which is less expensive. He said it will be important to find ways to deter vandalism at these sites and implement safety measures at the missile silos. Council member Mark Moody asked about the potential negative impacts to hunting management. 'We're really thinking about the potential for conflicting uses,' Christensen said. 'So if I'm riding my mountain bike down the trail and scare away a deer that a guy's archery hunting for, that's the sort of conflict that we're seeking to manage. So, I think we have recommendations of ensuring that trail use doesn't interfere with the hunting season and those sorts of things. So it's kind of kind of more of a policy directive that we need to have, a policy to address these potential conflicts.' The east side of the ranch, which has access to the interstate and is closer to Cheyenne, is currently undeveloped. Christensen said there is opportunity to leverage this asset into more developments, though it is unclear what that may look like at this time. He said the area needs infrastructure development and the city should pursue ways to have that be developer-funded for things like large water lines. 'I think a lot of times, when something new is potentially looking at locating in the city, something exciting can happen. We tend to think maybe we could put it on the Belvoir,'' Christensen said. He said it is important to consider if the development meets characteristics of the area, including factors like the impact on the land and the duration of use. The natural and recreation area is more on the west side, and in the middle is mostly energy and resource opportunities. In the original 2008 plan, wind turbines were set to be placed along ridge lines. As that came to fruition, they were places in different areas than originally anticipated. Christensen said it is important to delineate where those and other energy developments will be placed going forward. He said there are other resource and development opportunities, including potential solar development on the future landfill site.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cheyenne city officials approve new downtown development plan
CHEYENNE — After around 18 months of work, the Cheyenne City Council has approved a new Downtown Development Plan, a strategy outlining the vision for the capital city's downtown core going forward. The $108,000 plan was paid for with mill levy funds from the Downtown Development Authority. It builds on an initial DDA Master Plan created in 1991, and was aimed to consolidate 50 different previous downtown plans. This plan was primarily crafted through research on the downtown community and input collected from public sessions where community members were given the opportunity to provide feedback on the direction they would like to see downtown Cheyenne go. The 70-page planning document was crafted by the DDA after receiving around 850 online questionnaire responses, hosting three downtown business and property owner work sessions and seven public events that engaged more than 350 attendees. According to the report, feedback from the business and property owners, the public and the DDA Board highlighted the desire to focus future DDA efforts on completion of previous projects, rather than identifying new actions. They specifically mentioned completion of the Reed Avenue Rail Corridor and the West Edge enhancements, multimodal pathway connections and 15th Street enhancements. Attendees from the public open houses also expressed a desire to redevelop the large surface parking lots to address high-priority, additional needs for housing, public spaces and restaurants. Overall, the plan identified four top themes on which to focus over the next five to 10 years. Those are building and street character, economic and cultural development, infrastructure and land use, and transportation and parking. The DDA breaks down what working under these themes looks like in the document. It also addresses several ways the city and business and property owners can work together to address the top priorities within these themes by suggesting multiple action items. Before approval on Monday, DDA board members discussed with City Council members what this plan means for downtown Cheyenne. Brian Bau, DDA board member and owner of The Albany restaurant and bar, said the DDA and its staff will be able to use this plan to become a robust point of connection and a resource for those who want to grow and build downtown. Wendy Volk, another DDA board member, said the plan will be a guiding document. 'It has short-term, medium-term and long-term goals. It's a fluid document,' she said. Some plans in the past have been overly ambitious or unrealistic. Others have resulted in significant changes downtown, like the LED lights strung over 17th Street, the bronze statues on street corners and the concrete rectangular planters lining the streets downtown. City Council members expressed optimism about this plan going forward if it is approached realistically. Before approving the plan, council member Tom Segrave moved to amend the document based on suggestions from the city's Planning Commission. This amendment incorporated additional goals of addressing parking, walkability, the 'hole' next to the Hynds Building and including a reference to downtown grant programs available through the DDA. 'As a former DDA board member and chairman, I very much want to support this,' Segrave said. 'I also want to say that I've been very disappointed in the DDA, particularly the last few years. It seems like they've lost their focus at times and their mission. If this document provides that for the DDA, then it's well worth the money spent.' He added that members of the City Council must hold the DDA accountable for the goals outlined in this plan. 'There are so many things that come in front of us that tend to get lost along the way, and somehow, we need to keep that in focus,' he said. Council member Pete Laybourn expressed a similar sentiment, saying that the previous 50 plans were difficult to implement, and this one will be no different without any accountability. 'There are economic changes that the city has no control over. There are all sorts of changes that happen in the commercial enterprises. There is real need for understanding of our very ambitious programs here on the west side (of downtown),' Laybourn said. 'So, I want to be realistic.' Segrave's amendment to the document was passed unanimously, followed by a unanimous vote in support of the development plan from the governing body. The plan was created by the DDA's Board of Directors in partnership with the DDA and city staff and urban planning consultant Logan Simpson.
