Denver Parks, Art and Culture Committee – November 3, 2026

The Denver City Council Parks, Art and Culture Committee met on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at 10:30 AM in the City and County Building, room 391. Chair Shontel Lewis presided; Vice Chair Paul Kashmann and members Flor Alvidrez, Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, Chris Hinds, Diana Romero Campbell, Amanda Sawyer, and Council member Watson were recorded present in the minutes, for eight present. The committee considered three action items: a design contract for Boettcher Concert Hall, Denver Golf fee adjustments, and Buffalo Bill Museum fee adjustments. All three were approved for filing by 7-0 votes.

Discussion Items

• 26-1621 – Boettcher Concert Hall design contract. Kari Daly and Patrick Riley of the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure/Vibrant Denver Bond Office presented a proposed $16,490,000 contract with David Owen Tryba Architects, with LMN of Seattle, through January 30, 2030, for architectural and engineering design services for the Boettcher Concert Hall renovation. The total project budget was described as $120 million: $20 million from the Vibrant Denver GO Bond 2026B, with the remainder from Denver Arts & Venues and the Colorado Symphony. Staff said design is scheduled to begin in December; the pre-bid meeting drew over 100 attendees. Scope includes HVAC, fire protection, electrical, mechanical and plumbing, life safety, technology and data, security, stage lighting, AV, interior finishes, seat quantity and layout, acoustic treatments, and exterior roof and facade repairs, plus evaluation of a patron pavilion expansion. Staff cited accessibility, operational, safety and security, MEP, exterior weathering, and outdated lighting and AV concerns, and said early procurement could protect a 2028 construction start. Chair Lewis asked about protecting the hall’s acoustics; staff said acoustics consultant Paul Scarborough is on the team and the goal is an improved acoustic experience, including by reducing hall volume. Council member Kashmann praised Tryba’s preservation work and expressed support. Council member Sawyer asked about the funding stack; staff said the $16.49 million design contract is currently all from Vibrant proceeds, with Arts & Venues covering construction and the Symphony committed to raising $15 million, including a $2 million Boettcher Foundation donation. Council member Watson asked about the Symphony’s relocation; staff said the Symphony will move out for construction and perform in smaller community and regional venues, though a full public timeline was not announced. Council President Romero Campbell asked about LMN’s concert hall experience; staff cited Benaroya Hall and McCaw Hall in Seattle and the Tobin Center in San Antonio.
• 26-1651 – Denver Golf fee schedule. Scott Rethlake, director of golf, presented the biennial adjustment to Denver Golf Enterprise fees. He described the enterprise fund’s cost-recovery pyramid and portfolio, including Kennedy’s 27 regulation holes and par-3 course, free junior courses, First Tee programming, and summer employment for about 100-125 youth. Cost drivers included labor and minimum wage tied to CPI, inflation in fertilizer and gas, irrigation costs that have roughly doubled from $3 million to $6 million in five years, and a cost-allocation payment to the city of about $2 million, up from about $1 million. He said annual expenses rose from about $9.1 million in 2018 to $19.5 million in 2025; the capital backlog is about $83 million, including $40 million for the Kennedy clubhouse in 2027, and capital equipment needs are $3-4 million in 2027. Staff proposed two years of fee adjustments using dynamic pricing, with maximum rates in the ordinance: a weekday average target around $55 from about $43, weekend average from about $64 to $67, senior average from $37 to $40, and junior average around $25. Staff said without the increase the enterprise would face an operating loss of about $673,000 including depreciation; with it, about a $2.5 million surplus. Council member Alvidrez raised concerns about the junior maximum rising from $35 to $54, saying it could burden single parents and make passes feel mandatory; Rethlake said Denver-resident juniors can buy an ACE pass for about $149, averaging $10-$14 per round, and noted free junior courses and First Tee scholarships. Alvidrez pushed back that the courses are public assets. Council member Sawyer questioned ordinance language saying fees “shall apply” while staff described dynamic pricing, and asked that the city attorney review it before filing; she also asked whether fees could be tied to CPI, and staff said about half of comparison courses use dynamic pricing and the comparison used published prices. Council member Watson said the presentation lacked cost-revenue ratios and outcome measures and recommended more sophisticated reporting. Council member Hinds noted tension between CPI-based increases and willingness-to-pay pricing and asked for an equity narrative. Council member Kashmann asked about the Welsh driving range, which staff said is under construction and expected mid-year, and requested a breakdown of adult versus youth rounds. Council President Romero Campbell noted 400,000 total rounds and staff said current use is about 98% of capacity; she also noted the Kennedy clubhouse dates to 1963. Chair Lewis asked how dynamic pricing works and what demographic data is collected; staff said pricing uses algorithms, historical tee sheets, and competitor pricing, and that the system collects age and zip code but not race or gender. Lewis stated she dislikes dynamic pricing in all forms.
• 26-1652 – Buffalo Bill Museum fee schedule. Shannon Dennison, director of Denver Mountain Parks, presented fee changes for the Buffalo Bill Museum at Lookout Mountain Park. She said the museum, built in 1977, is the only fully city-owned and operated museum; Pahaska Provisions retail and the Buffalo Bill grave site are free, and a Takabe restaurant is expected to open around December. Visitation is about 80,000 per year and has been steady over 10 years after a COVID dip; the museum draws more visitors than about two-thirds of rec centers and about the same as Ashland. About 10,244 visitors, or 13%, are from Denver; 61% of paid admissions are adults, 16% seniors, and 12% children. Fees were first established in 1821 as stated, raised in 1988 and 1996, last significantly increased in 2009 by $1, and cleaned up in 2022. The proposal would raise adult admission from $5 to $6, keep seniors at $4, raise children and youth 6-17 from $1 to $2, keep under-5 free, and move active-duty military to the Blue Star Museums program with free admission for the service member and up to five family members. Staff estimated about $58,885 in additional revenue and noted the museum is general fund, not enterprise. The bill includes a CPI adjustment provision beginning March 1, 2027, and annually thereafter. Discounts include My Denver and My Denver Prime, Denver 5x5 Head Start, seven fee-free days for Denver residents, and Denver Public Library passes. Council member Sawyer asked about CPI timing; Dennison said the first adjustment would be March 2027 and the next reassessment in 2028, not an immediate second increase. Council member Alvidrez objected that seniors would see no increase while children and youth would double, citing median net worth of $409,000 for ages 65-74 versus $135,000 for ages 35-44 and calling for child-friendly third spaces. Dennison said the proposal aligned with Parks fee schedules and noted free-access programs. Council member Hinds clarified that My Denver cards provide free entry for Denver and DPS children, while the youth fee mainly affects out-of-town visitors. Council President Romero Campbell suggested surveying whether raising senior fees would deter visitation.

Key Outcomes

• Resolution 26-1621 was approved for filing: motion by Council member Sawyer, seconded by Council member Hinds, carried 7-0 (Aye: Lewis, Kashmann, Gonzales-Gutierrez, Alvidrez, Sawyer, Hinds, Romero Campbell; Nay: 0).
• Council Bill 26-1651 was approved for filing: motion by Council member Sawyer, seconded by Vice Chair Kashmann, carried 7-0 (Aye: Lewis, Kashmann, Gonzales-Gutierrez, Alvidrez, Sawyer, Hinds, Romero Campbell; Nay: 0). Staff were asked to have the city attorney review the golf ordinance language on dynamic pricing before filing, and members requested clearer cost-revenue and equity reporting in future presentations.
• Council Bill 26-1652 was approved for filing: motion by Vice Chair Kashmann, seconded by Council President Romero Campbell, carried 7-0 (Aye: Lewis, Kashmann, Gonzales-Gutierrez, Alvidrez, Sawyer, Hinds, Romero Campbell; Nay: 0).