Council backs Dinosaur Depot project

Canon City Daily Record: Council backs Dinosaur Depot project

Cañon City council members unanimously approved Monday night a resolution to authorize the beginning steps for the proposed $9.5 million Dinosaur Museum and Nature Center at the Royal Gorge Bridge, which is anticipated to be completed by the end of July 2012.

Councilman Colby Katchmar was absent from the meeting.

City Council members voted 4-3 during the July 18 council meeting to designate internal and external financing teams that will be used for the issuance of Certificates of Participation for its construction. Council members Ron Bates, Colby Katchmar and Roger Parsons voted against the resolution, while Pat Freda, Jerry Gill, Daryl Robinson and Jon Stone voted in favor.

Cañon City Administrator Steve Rabe said last week the project was then put on hold because the external and internal financing team was uncomfortable with moving forward in the project with a split vote. The council agreed to revisit the issue Monday night.

Robinson said in the long term, the project would be an asset to the community and the timing is right to move forward.

"Construction costs are never going to be lower, and I believe this is the right way to go for our city," he said.

Bates voted in favor of the resolution, stating he has had a chance to review the financial end of the project, which he said looks OK.

"The second thing I ask for - and I'd still like to ask for - is a formal open house that the public can come in and see exactly what we're doing, exactly where the $9.4 million is going to, just like we did with the Hogbacks, but modify it to this," he said.

Bates said he is not against the project, only against the lack of information made available to the general public who is going to under ride it.

Stone said he is more than willing to host an open house.

"We would welcome having the public looking at this project," he said, "this phenomenal project it's world class, actually."

Eleven citizens and business owners expressed opinions and comments regarding the project. Dan Grenard said many of the dinosaur specimens found in the area are housed in the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, the Smithsonian, the Denver Museum of Natural History, and the Cleveland Museum.

"A lot of our specimens are elsewhere," he said. "They're not here, and I think that is something that has inspired the people in the community is 'why not here.'"

Dennis Wied said he is a supporter of the depot, and anything to improve it is good, within certain limits.

"I am absolutely, totally opposed to issuing certificates of participation," he said. "In my opinion, it's simply a left handed way to get around, avoiding having the voters approve a capital improvement project."

He feels it is unrealistic to expect the depot will generate the kind of revenue necessary to cover the obligation, specifically the debt service.

"It needs to be presented to the people, sold to the citizens and approved by citizens," he said. "This is just too much of an obligation to attach to the possibility of raising enough admission sky high - I don't think that's possible."

If the revenue of the facility is greater than what is projected, City Attorney John Havens said the certificates can be paid at any time. City Clerk Becky Walker, also a board member of the Garden Park Paleontology Society, said the Royal Gorge is the best place for the museum and the GPPS.

"What better place for it to be where we can teach the science, where we can hire the professionals, where we can bring more people into our community to spend their money and time," she said.

She said the financial statements show the depot will raise money for the citizens of Cañon City as a result of its operation.

"It not only pays the mortgage, it makes a profit," she said. "That comes back in to fix pot holes and provide police and fire, etc. It comes back into the city coffers."