OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

South Platte River Committee Meeting – Jan 28, 2026: Pedestrian Bridge Contract

Council Committees — Wednesday, January 28, 2026
BodyDenver, Colorado
SessionCouncil Committees
DateWednesday, January 28, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 54:07
Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

into place and as my final strategy I can come around with a watering can or the hose

0:06

and just rinse off any of that potting mix that might have accumulated onto the leaves of my new

0:10

plant. When you're putting that in we talk about when you're digging the hole how wide should the

0:16

hole be? You know it really depends on the plant. Certainly for woody plants trees and shrubs you

0:21

want to make sure the hole is quite wide but not deeper than the root ball. You're looking for like

0:26

three times as wide as the pot.

0:29

If you're washing the roots,

0:30

the hole can be smaller or differently shaped.

0:32

You just want to accommodate those roots

0:34

and get them into the soil.

0:35

Okay, and how about when would you,

0:38

are there times when you need to add soil amendment?

0:41

So this is when your planning comes back into play.

0:43

If you understand the soil texture in your landscape

0:46

and you've chosen plants that are adapted

0:48

to that soil texture, there's no need to amend the soil.

0:52

So many plants that are sold for xeriscapes,

0:54

certainly plant select plants and others,

0:56

are already adapted to soils that are common

0:58

along the front range,

0:59

there's no need to amend the soil for those plants.

1:02

It's only if I want to grow particular plants

1:04

that aren't well suited to my site

1:06

that I need to resort to soil amendment.

1:08

If I do decide I need to amend the soil,

1:11

say for a vegetable garden or a flower garden,

1:13

it's better to amend the whole area before planting

1:16

rather to amend each hole individually.

1:18

That ensures that the soil is uniform

1:20

and the plants can explore that whole area

1:23

rather than just their planting hole.

1:25

Okay, and how about when's the best time of year

1:27

to plant a plant?

1:29

You know, you can successfully plant a perennial

1:32

just about year round in Colorado,

1:34

but the best times are those traditional seasons

1:36

of spring and fall,

1:38

when outdoor conditions aren't too extreme

1:41

and the plants have plenty of time to root in

1:43

before they have to get through the hot weather,

1:45

summer, freezing temperatures of winter.

1:48

Great tips.

1:49

All right, in our next video,

1:50

we're gonna give you some tips on watering your plants.

1:55

Hi, I'm Bea Stratton.

2:03

I'm with Denver Water, and I'm here with Ross Shrigley from Plant Select.

2:07

We're at Gully Greenhouse in Fort Collins.

2:10

So, Ross, Plant Select has nearly 200 water-wise varieties, but you're going to tell us about some of your favorites.

2:16

Let's start with popular ornamental grasses.

2:19

Oh, you bet.

2:19

This one here is the undaunted ruby muley grass.

2:23

It's one of my favorites.

2:24

Full sun.

2:25

And then in the fall, it puts on clouds of small pink flowers that just look so beautiful across your garden.

2:32

And then in the wintertime, those pink flowers, they can turn a brown and it occupies that space for winter interest.

2:37

It's a beautiful plant.

2:39

Thanks, Ross.

2:40

What about a water wise shrub?

2:42

Yes, you bet.

2:43

This one here is one of my most favorite pollinator plants we have.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Engineering And Infrastructure█████████████████████████████████████████41%
Fiscal Sustainability████████████████16%
Disability Rights████████████████16%
Workforce Development███████████11%
Water And Wastewater Management█████████9%
Racial Equity█████5%
Community Engagement██2%
Summary of Proceedings

South Platte River Committee Meeting – January 28, 2026

The South Platte River Committee of Denver City Council met to discuss and vote on a construction contract for a pedestrian bridge at the National Western Center campus. The committee also received updates on campus progress following the record-breaking 2026 Stock Show. The meeting was chaired by Councilwoman Jamie Torres.

Discussion Items

  • National Western Center Campus Updates: Mike Bouchard (Executive Director, Mayor's Office of the National Western Center) and Sarah DiPietro (Program Director) presented. The 2026 Stock Show (120th anniversary) saw record attendance of over 750,000 visitors. The new Livestock Center (368,000 square feet, one of the largest city-built buildings in decades) debuted successfully, shifting the show's center of gravity to the new side of campus. Remaining projects include the Pedestrian Bridge (contract under review), the Betty Cram Drive Bridge and 48th Avenue Greenway (joint project with DOTI, procurement upcoming), the Marion Underpass (Denver bond project, design procurement starting), and planning for the “Triangle” area (10,000-seat arena, expo hall, renovation of the 1909 stadium, plus residential and mixed uses). A new coordination effort with DOTI maps and communicates all construction activities in Globeville and Elyria-Swansea neighborhoods to minimize impacts.

  • Pedestrian Bridge Construction Contract: The committee considered approval of a $12,742,210 construction contract with Ames Construction for a pedestrian bridge over nine railroad tracks (RTD, BNSF, DRIR) connecting the 49th & Brighton RTD station to the National Western Center campus. The single-span bridge is approximately 265 feet long, fully enclosed, with elevators and stair towers (five stories high on the west side, four on the east). It includes lighting, IT/fiber for security cameras and emergency call boxes, and a new pedestrian connection to Brighton Boulevard. Estimated construction period is 550 days after notice to proceed (expected late March 2026), with completion targeted by end of 2027, in time for the 2028 Stock Show. Federal funding comes from a USDOT Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods grant; only the pedestrian bridge portion was obligated (the other three components of the grant were rescinded by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act).

  • Elevator Reliability Concerns: Council President Sandoval and Councilman Hines raised strong concerns about the history of broken elevators on other city bridges (e.g., the 18th Street bridge, Millennium Bridge, Union Station area). They questioned how the elevators on this bridge would be maintained, noting that the National Western Center Authority (NWCA) will be responsible for operations and maintenance. Council President Sandoval requested a dedicated line item for elevator maintenance in the transfer to the NWCA, and suggested exploring ramp alternatives to avoid elevator reliance. Mike Bouchard noted that ramps were considered but constrained by space and utilities. Councilman Hines added that elevator lifespans are shortening, and broken elevators restrict access for people with disabilities and families with strollers.

  • MWBE/DBE Goals and Workforce: Councilwoman Alvidrez asked about minority/women-owned business enterprise (MWBE) and disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) goals. Sarah DiPietro explained that the federal government issued an interim final rule removing DBE/MWBE goals on federally funded projects; after legal guidance, the city removed the goals. The contractor may voluntarily report utilization, and the committee requested a list of 18 subcontractors and their city certifications. Workforce requirements are standard (approximately 15% apprenticeship), per city ordinance.

  • Design, Tariffs, and Total Cost: Councilman Flynn asked about the design contract (part of a larger horizontal services contract with Merrick, amount to be provided). The 18-month construction timeline is conservative, partly due to long-lead materials and Buy America/Build America requirements. A tariff contingency line item is included in the contract. Total project cost is estimated at $23 million, including design and contingencies. Federal grant is $10 million, but the exact federal/local match percentage (approximately 42% federal / 58% local) will be confirmed.

Key Outcomes

  • Vote: The committee unanimously approved a motion (by Councilman Hines, seconded by Councilman Watson) to advance the construction contract with Ames Construction for the pedestrian bridge at $12,742,210. All members present were in favor.
  • Follow-up Actions:
    • Provide the cost of the design contract for the bridge.
    • Confirm the exact federal/local funding split for the bridge project.
    • Supply a list of the 18 subcontractors along with their MWBE certifications.
    • Explore options for a dedicated elevator maintenance line item when the bridge is transferred to the National Western Center Authority.

Meeting Transcript

into place and as my final strategy I can come around with a watering can or the hose and just rinse off any of that potting mix that might have accumulated onto the leaves of my new plant. When you're putting that in we talk about when you're digging the hole how wide should the hole be? You know it really depends on the plant. Certainly for woody plants trees and shrubs you want to make sure the hole is quite wide but not deeper than the root ball. You're looking for like three times as wide as the pot. If you're washing the roots, the hole can be smaller or differently shaped. You just want to accommodate those roots and get them into the soil. Okay, and how about when would you, are there times when you need to add soil amendment? So this is when your planning comes back into play. If you understand the soil texture in your landscape and you've chosen plants that are adapted to that soil texture, there's no need to amend the soil. So many plants that are sold for xeriscapes, certainly plant select plants and others, are already adapted to soils that are common along the front range, there's no need to amend the soil for those plants. It's only if I want to grow particular plants that aren't well suited to my site that I need to resort to soil amendment. If I do decide I need to amend the soil, say for a vegetable garden or a flower garden, it's better to amend the whole area before planting rather to amend each hole individually. That ensures that the soil is uniform and the plants can explore that whole area rather than just their planting hole. Okay, and how about when's the best time of year to plant a plant? You know, you can successfully plant a perennial just about year round in Colorado, but the best times are those traditional seasons of spring and fall, when outdoor conditions aren't too extreme and the plants have plenty of time to root in before they have to get through the hot weather, summer, freezing temperatures of winter. Great tips. All right, in our next video, we're gonna give you some tips on watering your plants. Hi, I'm Bea Stratton. I'm with Denver Water, and I'm here with Ross Shrigley from Plant Select. We're at Gully Greenhouse in Fort Collins. So, Ross, Plant Select has nearly 200 water-wise varieties, but you're going to tell us about some of your favorites. Let's start with popular ornamental grasses. Oh, you bet.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com