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AGENDA
CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION
February 7, 2022
4:00 PM, City Council Chambers
427 Rio Grande Place
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I.WORK SESSION
I.A.Armory Update
I.B.Wildfires Disaster Recovery Funding & Victim Resources
I.C.Boards and Commissions Interviews (5pm start)
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MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor Torre and Aspen City Council
FROM: Jen Phelan, Development Manager
THROUGH: Scott Miller, Public Works Director
MEETING DATE: February 7, 2022
RE: City facilities remodel and use plan
REQUEST OF COUNCIL: Staff is requesting confirmation of the suggested process to remodel and program
both the Armory and Old Power House (OPH) buildings, as well as direction on aspects of the proposed
engagement process and guiding principles associated with the plan.
SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND: With the completion of the new city hall and the relocation of many
departments into the facility, city staff are developing a process to consider future programming and
remodel options for the Armory and OPH. Currently, Pitkin County has entered into an Intergovernmental
Agreement (IGA) with the city to rent the Armory as a temporary home for its court system while their
facilities remodel is completed. The interim use of the Armory by Pitkin County through fall/winter 2022,
provides an opportunity to finalize programming options for the building.
The buildings. Both buildings are designated historic resources. The OPH was built in 1886 and functioned
as a power plant for nearly a century; it was then remodeled to house the Aspen Art Museum. The
museum moved to the downtown core in 2014. Subsequently, the OPH was considered for some form of
community use; however, it ultimately has housed the Aspen Chamber Resort Association (ACRA) and
various city departments. The OPH sits on a 2.7 acre parcel along the Roaring Fork River and is located in
the Public zone district.
Construction of the Armory was started in 1891 on two city lots by Company C First Battalion of the
Colorado National Guard. The two-story building was constructed to store equipment and uniforms, as
well as provide space to practice military drills on the ground floor, with a fraternal hall on the second
floor. The second-floor space was used by lodges and clubs that were flourishing in Aspen at the time,
including several branches of the International Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) and the Crystal City Club.
Besides being used as a fraternal hall, the building has been used as a roller rink, a gymnasium, and general
community space. Over the years, the building has experienced various repairs, remodels, and
programming, but by 1949 the police department had moved into the Armory and eventually all city
operations relocated to the building. It sits on a 6,000 sq. ft. lot in the downtown Commercial Core Historic
District adjacent to Conner Park and, similar to the OPH, is also located within the Public zone district.
Past considerations for the Armory. In 2015, with plans to develop a new city hall along Rio Grande
Place/Galena Plaza, the city initiated an advisory ballot question to gauge the electorate’s preference for
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the Armory site as a future community use or city offices. The community use narrowly passed. Once
again in 2018, another ballot question was included during the election cycle presenting two locations for
a new city hall: along Rio Grande Place/Galena Plaza as previously contemplated or along E. Hopkins Ave.
on a site offered for purchase by a local developer. The results in 2018 confirmed the electorate’s
preference of the Rio Grande/Galena Plaza site with a 57 to 43 percent margin.
Future considerations for the buildings. Funding has been earmarked for remodel of both these buildings;
however, the extent of public engagement, decisions on the programming and remodel of the properties
will affect the timeline and costs associated with the projects. In the past, the city has seen great public
interest expressed in utilizing city buildings for a community purpose. Renewed interest is expected with
the vacating of the Armory and a strategy for community engagement to assist in determining the
building’s future should be developed and balanced with a decision-making timeline.
Council’s direction on the programming and extent of remodel, will directly affect the timeline and
budgetary costs associated with the structures. Fewer changes to the use and footprint of the buildings
will shorten the length of any required entitlement process, design development, and construction costs
while new programming and an expanded footprint can be expected to lengthen the redevelopment
timeline.
STAFF DISCUSSION:
Proposed reuse of the OPH and Armory. Four departments (Special Events, IT, Transportation and Capital
Asset) require a permanent location for their operations and staff is recommending that the OPH fulfil
that need for the city. Co-location of city services limits the disbursement of services provided to the public
by the city and the OPH, at approximately 7,500 sq. ft., can meet the office needs and most of the storage
required of the departments. The Armory is a larger building at approximately 19,000 sq. ft. in size. With
its downtown location, housing ACRA in the building makes geographic sense. ACRA needs approximately
4,400 sq. ft. of space to accommodate its front of house visitor center and back of house offices. This
leaves approximately 14,600 sq. ft., in its current configuration, for additional programming.
Timeline and components of a remodel and reuse plan. Anticipating that the OPH will continue to be used
by the city for governmental functions and the Armory will be available for new programming, staff is
recommending a concurrent approach to the redevelopment plans for each building. The OPH will focus
on an internal planning process that emphasizes an interior remodel to accommodate the four city
departments. The Armory remodel, being considered to house ACRA and additional new programming
should incorporate a public engagement strategy to assist in developing a programmatic framework for
the building.
To minimize the amount of time the Armory may be vacant, staff is suggesting an assertive timeline for
outreach and decision making by the city. Once direction is gained by staff, an updated timeline can be
developed to accommodate the proposed programing and design direction and more accurately
incorporate forecasting for land use entitlements, construction document development, permit review,
construction costs, and a construction schedule. Figure 1, below, provides an initial timeline with an
emphasis on the public engagement component.
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Figure 1: Anticipated development timeline
Proposed engagement plan. With excess programming potential, the Armory has the ability to serve city
and community goals. Staff recommends engaging the community as we re-examine the future use and
programming of the Armory for a long-term solution that will best maintain the historical and vibrant
integrity of this community asset. The engagement strategy will solicit input from various stakeholders
and the community at-large to identify and confirm what community values such as financial
sustainability, environmental sustainability, and community access should guide the redevelopment of
the building and ask for stakeholder input for programming options of the Armory that can be measured
against city objectives and fiscal implications to determine the best use of the property moving forward.
Staff is proposing a multi-step engagement process with anticipated completion in April 2022. Outreach
will consist of two major engagement components: 1) gathering ideas from the public and organizing the
information and then, 2) re-engaging the community to verify the results of the initial engagement and
refine programming proposals.
The public engagement will include multiple outreach methods (while considering Covid protocol) such
as: video or in-person tours of the facility, open houses, questionnaire creation, use of Aspen Community
Voice, social media, emails, use of the city website, direct outreach, and newspaper/digital
advertisements. The intent is to collect feedback from the public, analyze the feedback, and have the
public confirm the information that is initially gathered. An anticipated outreach timeline is provided in
Figure 2.
•Baseline information collection
•Armory public engagement process with two active phases
•Midway progress update to Council
February -April 2022
•Summarize outreach results, formal direction by CouncilMay 2022
•As needed entitlement process
•Development of construction documents
•Building permit submission and review
•Begin remodel, anticipated spring 2023
June 2022 -April 2023
•Completion and occupancy2024
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Figure 2: Engagement timeline and components
Development of ‘Guiding Principles’ for the remodel and programming of the Armory. With the
redevelopment of the Armory, staff is suggesting that ‘Guiding Principles’ be developed to assist in
considering aspects of the remodel plan and evaluating proposed programming ideas that will result from
the community engagement process. Anticipating robust participation and a myriad of potential
programming ideas, Council will need a way to evaluate community input. An initial list of principles has
been developed by staff that can be considered and refined. These preliminary principles include:
• The building remodel will incorporate sustainable systems showing a commitment to the
environment.
• The Armory should be able to be used by a diverse range of people.
• The uses within the Armory should provide meaningful and affordable participation in programs
and offerings.
• The operational structure of the Armory should limit the public financial burden of operating
and maintaining the building.
• The remodel will respect the historic context and contribute to Aspen’s small-town character.
• The programming of the Armory should contribute to a lively and diverse downtown.
• The programming at the Armory should focus on unmet needs within the community.
Staff is seeking direction from Council on the following points that will guide the remodel and use
process:
A. Confirm initial programming direction for the two buildings. Staff would like to confirm Council
agrees that 1) the OPH should house city departments, and 2) the Armory should accommodate
ACRA, with the balance of the remaining available space for additional programming to be
determined at the end of a public engagement process.
B. Agreement on outreach timeline. As mentioned earlier, the outreach timeline is assertive as staff
is focusing on efficiency to keep the project moving forward with the intent of minimizing the
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building being vacant. Staff would like to confirm that the proposed plan and timeline for public
engagement is agreeable to Council.
C. Guiding principles. The intent of the engagement process is to gather community input on
potential programming of the Armory and see where there is alignment in the community;
however, Council will still need to determine the appropriate type of community programming
that should occur within the Armory in addition to ACRA. Staff has developed an initial set of
guiding principles that are intended to assist Council in vetting programming ideas with a
framework of community and city values for the building. Staff would like direction on the initial
set of ‘guiding principles’ and if there are additional ideas that Council may like to include or have
staff develop during the outreach process.
D. Initial thoughts on Armory operation. As the city moves forward with the engagement process,
staff would like to gauge Council’s initial thoughts on two items. The first, how should the
operation of the Armory be structured, should it be a city facility or provided a master lease?
Secondly, does Council have any initial thoughts on the services that the building should provide,
and whether the balance of the programming primarily supports locals or visitors?
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Staff requests confirmation and/or direction on items A through D of the memo
so that staff may advance the remodel and programming process of both the OPH and Armory.
ATTACHMENTS:
Exhibit A: Floor plans
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Exhibit A: Armory and Old Power House Floor Plans
Armory, basement level
Armory, ground level
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Armory, second level
Armory, third level
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OPH, ground level
OPH, upper level
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MEMORANDUM
TO:Mayor Torre and Aspen City Council
FROM:Angie Sprang, Assistant to the City Manager
THROUGH:Diane Foster, Assistant City Manager
MEETING DATE:February 7, 2022
RE:Wildfires Disaster Recovery Funding & Victim Resources
REQUEST OF COUNCIL:At the January 22 Council meeting, Council requested that Staff explore options
for donation(s) to benefit the victims of the Wildfires in Boulder County. Council discussed the possibility
of donating $3-$5k to support the victims/recovery efforts.
SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND: Staff spoke with the Boulder County Office of Emergency Management
who relays a genuine thank you to the Aspen City Council for query for support of the victims of the
fires. Boulder County has partnered with the Community Foundations Boulder County (CFBC). Financial
donations are being made to the Community Foundation Boulder County (CFBC). If members of the
Aspen community would like to donate, please click on the following CFBC Donation Link to donate
directly: https://www.commfound.org/grants/get-grant/Boulder-County-Wildfire-Fund
For those interested in understanding how CFBC funding efforts are being utilized,the following
information was provided by CFBC:
Due to the generosity of tens of thousands of donors to the Wildfire Fund, Community
Foundation Boulder County immediately allocated over $7 million in relief. $5.5 million in
financial assistance was distributed to thousands of individuals and families whose homes have
been destroyed or damaged or were evacuated and $1.5 million is now available to those
who lost wages from business that closed or were destroyed or lost tools of the trade from
various industries, such as plumbers, mechanics,electricians, healthcare workers, teachers, and
service workers. Additionally, $150,000 was granted to United Policyholders to support anyone
who needs help navigating their insurance policies.
Community Foundation Boulder County works closely with government and nonprofit partners to
meet the needs of the community as they arise. Your generous support will allow us to address
immediate, short-and long-term needs for those most directly affected.
In addition to financial donations, the victims do have a need for items as many lost all their belongings
in the fires. Community organized donations of NEW items are being accepted only; as of January 24
individual items/small individual donations are not being accepted. If someone in the Aspen community
is interested creating an organized effort and arrange for a truck to transport NEW items only to the
donation site, please reach out to (720)574-2300 select option 2. There is a list of items needed that is
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updated regularly located on the Boulder County website, here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19NCYK-ZJwW_5elixOXxb1cEqi4KRFoQCNhAOHdc9jTs/edit
A complete list of resources for those interested in volunteering can be found here:
https://www.bouldercounty.org/disasters/wildfires/marshall/#donations-and-volunteering
A complete list of Boulder County POST-disaster resources for victims can be found here:
https://assets.bouldercounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/boulder-county-dac-organizations-jan-
2022-1.pdf
STAFF DISCUSSION:At the January 22 meeting Council discussed the possibility of donating $3-$5k to
support the victims/recovery efforts. Before Council this evening is the question of: Does Council want to
donate to the CFBC fund, and if so how much? Staff believes that if Council would like to donate the CFBC
would be the best avenue in which to do so. The fund was set up in partnership with Boulder County
Emergency response and the victims are quite familiar with it and already receiving assistance through it.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Staff requests that if Council would like to donate to support the victims and
response efforts that Council discuss and vote on an amount for a donation to the CFBC Wildfire Fund.
ATTACHMENTS:
CFBC QR Code for Financial Donations
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Boulder County Wildfire Fund
Community Foundation Boulder
County works closely with
government and nonprofit partners
to meet the needs of the community
as they arise. Your generous support
will allow us to address immediate,
short- and long-term needs for those
most directly affected.
Support those affected by the Marshall and Middle Fork fires:
SCAN TO DONATE
COMMFOUND.ORG
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Commercial Core & Lodging Commission
Open Positions:
Three Regular Members
Current Members:
Jeb Ball, Chair exp. 9/2022
Charles Cunniffe, Vice Chair exp. 6/2023
Terry Butler exp. 6/2023
Kiki Raj exp. 3/2024
Amanda Tanaka exp. 6/2022
Angi Wang exp. 3/2022
Bill Dinsmoor exp. 3/2022
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