The Mayor's Mixtape

The Mayor's Mixtape-Episode 44

• City of Pueblo • Episode 44

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This week Mayor Graham is back on the Mayor’s Mixtape with a City Council recap. City Council voted Mark Aliff as President, Roger Gomez as Vice President and Selena Ruiz-Gomez is the Work Session Chair. Mayor Graham discusses the Building Back Bessemer initiative. This week Council approved a contract award for the clean up and remediation of the E. Routt property, funding for airport terminal renovations and Mayor Graham explains the board and commission appointment process.

 Submit your questions or topic suggestions to mayor@pueblo.us. Thanks for listening!

Haley Sue Robinson:

Okay, welcome to the 44th episode of the Mayor's Mixtape. I'm Haley Sue Robinson, Director of Public Affairs for the City of Pueblo.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

And I'm City of Pueblo Mayor Heather Graham.

Haley Sue Robinson:

And I'm actually in front of the camera today instead of behind the camera.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

No guests today.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Yeah. We've had a lot of guests lately, but um excited to be back with you. And um just want to remind our listener, you can find us on Apple, YouTube, BuzzSprout, um, wherever you get your podcasts. And you can also watch this on channel 17. Uh, just want to remind you that if you have a topic suggestion or question, you can email us mayor@pueblo.us. Uh Mayor, we're back in the swing of things. We have some new city councillors. Um and Monday was a long night for you know some pomp and circumstance of uh swearing in of the new civil service commissioner and the four new city councillors. I know everybody's very confused when I say four, but technically Councillor Boston was not an elected official.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Right.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Previously, he was an appointed official. So um, but the chambers were packed and it was very exciting. Um, and we also had a really long agenda for the new council to go through. So uh it was a long night, but also because there was a lot of work that was done.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

It I mean, it was long, but I you know, I looked down at like my watch at like eight, and I was like, I'm surprised we're this far along.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Me too, yeah.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Um, with everything that we had to do before.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Well, and and we also knew uh the new counselors were gonna want to address folks and do the council commentary. Um, it also was our first official meeting back um for the new year, and so it it felt new for a lot of reasons. Then um we elected uh council president, vice president, work session chair. There were a lot of things to happen before like any voting was done.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Right.

Haley Sue Robinson:

So um, yeah, it was great. It was great. So um uh Councillor Aliff is our president, and Councillor Gomez is our vice president, and Councillor Ruiz-Gomez is our work session chair.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yep.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Um but before the regular meeting, you gave a presentation during the work session for a project that you're calling uh Building Back Bessemer.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yep.

Haley Sue Robinson:

So I thought maybe we could talk a little bit about that and what all that entails.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yeah, so um shortly after the uh mayoral um city manager election, and when I knew I was gonna be here, I um was obviously like, let's plan some goals for 2026 and things that we need to get done, right? And um, so every every Tuesday I meet with the Urban Renewal Authority, um, PEDCO, um staff members, sometimes board members, uh come into our meeting, and it's it's like an overall economic development meeting where we sit down and talk about all the projects that we're working on um in the city. And so time and time again, from council, from members of the community, we have heard, you know, what are you gonna do about Bessemer? And so I had told the group, I said, let's go door knock some of these uh uh buildings in Bessemer that are boarded and and burned and see who owns them and see if the city can acquire them. Well, my phone must have been listening to me, naturally, because this listing came up about almost an entire city block that was going to be uh for sale in Bessemer. So I immediately called the real estate agent, uh, go take a tour of the buildings. Um a decent deal for the city. It's $99,000 for um four units, but they make up almost an entire city block.

Haley Sue Robinson:

On Northern Avenue.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Northern, uh-huh. And um they're they're boarded, um, the insides are pretty trashed out.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Okay.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Um and then directly across the street, we also have some more burned and blighted buildings. Um, and then on the next block, we have some uh vacant lots um that also need to be addressed. And so we looked at this as a whole um a big picture of of what we could do and how we could start to acquire some of these properties um and in conjunction with the Urban Renewal Authority go back and start revitalizing um this area without the government coming in and spending some money um and taking charge of this area. I just I don't, in my opinion, I don't think anything is going to happen. Um you're not gonna have a developer um come in and purchase these properties without knowing that the city and the urban renewal authority are gonna be there to um help incentivize and help with the process of revitalization for these properties. So um this is an overall project for Bessemer. It's gonna continue throughout the year.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Okay.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Um we have 90 days, we're gonna do a phase one um on the properties and then uh figure out what type of a funding source we're gonna use. So whether we're gonna take a whole bond for the district um and use other existing TIF dollars from a different district to service the debt that's coming to the city's general fund right now. Um, but go in and and try to do some revitalization. So we have the fence being put up um in February. We have the Convergys building that's been torn down. Um I've seen I see that they're putting up the fencing to get started on the Circle K. Um, and then this week we're gonna have an RFP go out for a proposal for the backside of Converges that the city owns to do some attainable, um, affordable workforce housing. So there's a lot of moving parts uh to building back bessemer. I keep getting myself confused because I keep saying building back bessemer, and then I say bringing back Bessemer, and so it's just BBB. You know, there's so many good things. We're building it back, we're bringing it back. Um, and so this is how we're gonna spend our 2026 is trying to revitalize um some of the areas in Bessemer.

Haley Sue Robinson:

I think that specific area um is a really exciting area to start with because you have some um anchor places in Bessemer right there. Um, you know, you have Gagliano's,

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Nunez Lounge,

Haley Sue Robinson:

yep, um

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Clients King,

Haley Sue Robinson:

you also have

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Jorge's, staples of our community.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Yeah, and you have generations of businesses right there that um that have really deep roots and are there to stay. And so I also think that when you start to revitalize this area, there's appreciation for the small businesses that already exist and then an opportunity for new business to come in and understand the the legacy that's been built there. Um it's a really important side of of Pueblo because of the steel mill and how much history is right there. It's also an entrance off of you know I-25. It's kind of like a a gateway to the community. And so I I I think it's exciting just to see an opportunity of new and um also see some properties that we've seen vacant for a really long time get some get some love and attention that they deserve. And so I'm excited to see what the community has to say about this and how how they'll feel about their neighborhood getting the facelift it it needs.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Right. Yeah, it's exciting.

Haley Sue Robinson:

It's really exciting. Um so a another very exciting piece that then was discussed later at council. Um we finally approved the uh permit for the route property, which is right in that same section. Um

Mayor, Heather Graham:

the con awarding the contract for Yes. Yep.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Yeah. But uh can you talk to us about why this process has been so long and and why that property on route has looked the way it has for as long as it has. Yeah.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

So I mean it's burn several times in the last uh two years. I mean, the last burning of it was almost it almost completely came down at this point. It's been a a dumping site for household waste. We go in and clean up around as much as we can, but um there is asbestos contamination on the property. The property is privately owned. It's not a city-owned property, so city can't just go in there um and remove the the garbage and uh the structure that's left. So what happens is the city has to um submit a permit application to the state, C D PHE.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Okay. because of the asbestos and remediation.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yep, and we have to get approval from the state to go in. Um, they set a work plan for us.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Okay.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Um once all of that is ready, we put the project out um for bid. So it was out for bid for about a month. Um we had I think we had three people uh respond to it. Um the total bid amount that came in was $161,000 with like a $24,000 uh contingency. So the city is going to be spending almost $200,000 um of our demo funds to remove um and clean up the blight on that property, and then we'll lean the property. Okay. That property will not be worth uh the money that we spend to remediate the property.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Sure.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

But it also butts up to two of the properties in the presentation that I gave on Monday. So um overall hoping maybe to see that lot turned into a parking lot or a pocket pot park or um green space, uh, tacos fuego right across the street. We know that they have such a hard time with um parking. The reason why this property is so expensive, because I'm like, that's that's wild, like $200,000. To clean it up,

Haley Sue Robinson:

a big space.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yeah. So um, you know, I had a discussion with Andrew Hayes from Public Works, and so what's gonna happen is when we do the remediation, um, who who's awarded the bid, they will have to take a sample of the asbestos every single day that they're in there removing it and drive it up to Denver and have it tested.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Oh, so we have to do that.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Before they can continue on the next day.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Testing each day.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yeah.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Okay.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Because of how many times it's burned. Um, and that's what is driving the cost of this specific property um up. So it it's a it's a complex situation. Um we hope to have this cleared by the first week of February. Um, just depending on on weather and and what have you. But uh that's that's that's the reason it's so expensive.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Sure. I just I thought it was important to discuss that because we had two recent buildings that were burned, the one on uh Fourth Street and then the one on Cyprus, and that day the city was able to go um and knock down those buildings because we had permission from the owner.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yeah, and

Haley Sue Robinson:

It was different.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Well, and it was um the there were structures that had not burned that were um up and could potentially fall over. So um that falls under the dangerous building code where the city can go in. We can't pull the stuff off the property, but we can use heavy equipment to knock it um and leave it. So we've been in contact with both of the owners, privately owned again, um, to see what the next steps are gonna be uh to get their properties cleaned up.

Haley Sue Robinson:

I uh I think a lot of the community and and us included have voiced our frustration with the process, but I think explaining the testing and what that looks like each day now helps me understand why it's so expensive and also why the process takes so long.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

The City has also been working with the state um to get issued a blanket permit for right-sized properties that are you know within 1200 square feet that have burned X amount of time, um, just an overall permit that would allow the city to go and um not only knock it down but clean it and remediate it um right away without having to apply for a variance each time for the state because we have so many of these properties in Pueblo.

Haley Sue Robinson:

So essentially expediting the process so that we don't do this for each individual home or residential.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

If it's within a certain uh like

Haley Sue Robinson:

footprint,

Mayor, Heather Graham:

footprint, age, so year the house was built, so we know if there's asbestos or not. Um so that's something that the current the city is currently working on.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Cool. That's exciting.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yeah,

Haley Sue Robinson:

Great. Um, we also had more exciting news. Uh it's it feels like we've maybe been talking about this for a little bit, but um the funding was approved for the terminal renovation at uh Pueblo Memorial Airport. Uh project cost is a little over six million and includes renovation, ADA upgrades, um, updating a couple adjacent buildings and um

Mayor, Heather Graham:

bathrooms.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Yes, uh ADA accommodations for bathrooms as well. Can you talk a little bit about the funding source for this? I know that was a question on Monday night.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yeah, sure. So when I first became the mayor, this was a project that had been um, I think that the city used ARPA dollars like in 2021 um to go out and uh get design work uh to see what it would cost to do a renovation of the airport. So we had a shovel ready project. So when the city in 2020, uh the previous administration set money aside to purchase the Wells Fargo building um for city staff, that money had never been used, obviously, because we backed out of the deal. Um so we had about four million dollars in an account, uh capital improvement account. So we used uh two million dollars of that money to purchase the Dittmer building um and renovations for the Dittmer building, which will house the employee health clinic and the parks department. And so there was an existing uh two million dollars that was left in this account, and so I was looking for a project um that we could renovate or or do that was going to help increase economic development uh within our community, and so that I thought the airport would be perfect. Um, so when we went out to bid, obviously it came back much higher than uh two million for the entire renovation. And so we are able to use half cent sales tax dollars because this is um within the what the voters voted on because it's an industrial park, um, and it's in the airport industrial park. So and it's also gonna be part of job creation with our new air mechanics um

Haley Sue Robinson:

the aviation

Mayor, Heather Graham:

school. That's gonna be out there. Yeah, so it's it's kind of like a packaged deal.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Right.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Um so we're gonna have classroom space where we'll have um I think Brian said twenty twenty students that will be coming uh for air mechanics school um and working with DOS Aviation or CAE um right next door. And so it's it's exciting for the community. Um it's an economic development project. Uh we hope to attract other businesses out with the newly renovated um airport, and we hope to maybe attract additional airlines and people coming into our community.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Yeah, so it it'll it'll make the airport busier. Um I think additionally, with the announcement that we just had with uh PCC and CAE for the new technician program, it it the timing is just like incredible, kind of how it all lined up um to put together. So I know that our aviation director is very excited, but I know there's a lot of folks you mentioned in the industrial park that um you know they would like to utilize the airport more for their own travel. Um and to your point, and as an economic development driver, um getting more options for flights out of Pueblo would be fantastic.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yep.

Haley Sue Robinson:

So cool. I'm excited.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yeah, we ha and I think uh Greg says that this'll be well on its way, and it may be completed by the end of 26, so that's that's also exciting.

Haley Sue Robinson:

That's amazing. Yeah, we're looking forward to that. Um another thing that there was a lot of discussion about on Monday was uh board appointments, and I know this is the time of year that the mayor makes uh board and commission appointments for city counselors, uh but you also regularly make appointments for our boards and commissions. Um some of those are city-county appointed, some of those are just city boards. Can you talk a little bit about the process of what it looks like to appoint a board or commission member?

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yeah, so um when we change to a strong mayor form of government, it specifically outlines in the city charter that the mayor um is the appointer of all boards and commissions within the city. So those are city, city boards, uh city commissions. So um not only every January do I appoint city council to their boards, um, and that process for city council is a little bit different. I reach out to each of the city councilors and we kind of talk about the boards that are available, um, what time their meetings are, how much time you have to dedicate, and then I let city council, you know, say, I would like to sit on this board or or what have you. So um this year they they there wasn't um competing interests in in many of the boards.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Sure.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Um they knew specifically what they wanted um and they were able to obtain those uh board seats, and so I I placed them on the boards that they would at that they asked. Um the Urban Renewal Authority Board, which was the hot topic of the night. Um that board specifically states in Colorado revised statue um that I appoint all their board members except for their special districts and the county seat,

Haley Sue Robinson:

yeah,

Mayor, Heather Graham:

um, which is a county commissioner, and then we have district 6070 in the special district. So we have a library or um could be like a lower arc appointment. And uh so for the city you have one voting member and one ex-officio, and per the statute it states that the voting member is a uh municipal official, uh

Haley Sue Robinson:

an elected official,

Mayor, Heather Graham:

which is me,

Haley Sue Robinson:

yeah.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Or one of the members of city council. And so with all the turmoil um that's been happening with the urban renewal authority over the last year, um, I stated that I, you know, go to all of their meetings and um

Haley Sue Robinson:

You've been going to all of their meetings. This isn't a new

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yeah. And so that I would like to take the voting seat. So there was some um there was some discussion about it, but I think that uh city council um trusts the process and trusts what I'm trying uh to do. And so um I'm happy uh with with what happened and um I look forward to to serving on the scene. I had my first board meeting yesterday.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Your first official board meeting is.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yeah, because you know typically I don't get to talk and just sit there like at City Council. And so yesterday I had a mic and I was like, yeah, this is like what it was like when I was the president, you know, to talk at the meetings. And so um, yeah, it was it was good. And so I look forward to working uh with the authority and the other city councillors on all of their boards and commission appointments. One other thing uh that I wanted to talk about is you know, when you apply for a board or a commission, um something that I've done since I've been the mayor is I interview every single person.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Yeah, I was hoping you would talk about that.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

They come up to the office, so that didn't typically happen before, I don't think that

Haley Sue Robinson:

sometimes

Mayor, Heather Graham:

the previous not interview to every person.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Yeah.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

And uh so I, you know, invite the citizen up and we have a chat about why they want to sit on this board. And sometimes what happens in our conversation is you know, they say, Well, I just applied for this board, but if there's something else that you think I would be better fitted or better suited for, can you appoint me to that board? And so that happens too.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Oh, cool.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Um, maybe they have you know some special superpower that they didn't share on their application, but when they come in, they share, and then um there's a board that better suits them. Um so I appoint them that way. So that that's the process. Um, the next big board that I'm gonna be appointing is the Southern Colorado Um

Haley Sue Robinson:

Building Department

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Building Department, and that is a nine-person board, so it's one city council appointment, so it's counselor Hernandez, he's already been appointed. Um, and then the city has five additional appointments, and Boone has three joint appointments. And the word joint or why we why we do a joint appointment is because um Boone may or may not be able to find three individuals who want to sit on this board.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Sure.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

And so it then allows me to appoint uh somebody from the city if they if they so choose. It's the same way when we had city and um county appointments, we could take from either side if someone didn't apply. So that's really the the process. Um not all boards are city boards. I know Councilman Gomez at the meeting stated that he sat on PDF. That's a um that's it outside the city board, so that's not something that I appoint. Um and there's a lot of boards and commissions that um I know you you sit on Packard and

Haley Sue Robinson:

There's a I mean there's a lot of boards.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

It's not every city board. Um it's just the ones that ask to have a city appointed position that I appoint.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Well, and and the role of a lot of those boards and commissions, um with the with the exception of what I would say is uh PURA, is an advisory um role. And so then a lot of times we hear from those boards and commissions, they come and present before council, they may report back to you as the mayor and say, hey, we've we recently did a survey, or we'd like to do a study, or we have something we'd like you to consider for something new.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Sure.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Um or what is the direction that the mayor wants and now we can work on a plan to move forward. Um so they play really important roles for how we do city business and

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yeah, you know, the the Urban Renewal Authority Board is the only other board, you know, that works similar to City Council, right? They um budget and appropriate property tax dollars. Um so these are still public funds, um, just like the city council with city sales tax dollars. And so that one is a very important um board to make sure that you have the right people on um who understand TIF and uh property tax dollars. And so those interviews um and applications are typically longer from like a energy advisory uh committee or commission um or streetscape. Um the other boards that don't necessarily have a budget um and allocate funding and select contracts and those types of things that at the end of the day is all approved and ratified by the city council. Um so it's a little bit different on that board.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Okay. I just thought it was important to discuss that because it's timely. This time of year we just hear a lot about boards and commissions.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

So yeah, yeah. So city councils uh they're appointed every year.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Yeah, every January.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

So they have an opportunity to sit and move around um on the different boards and see how they intertwine with the government.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Great, cool.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yeah.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Anything else you wanna add about Monday?

Mayor, Heather Graham:

No, I'm just excited for the new members of um City Council, and I I look forward to working with uh each and every one of them. I think that I've had several meetings with them um already, and I think they have some ideas and some goals um that I'm looking forward to supporting and helping them um get their uh get their plan going.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Great, yeah. Cool. Um, well, speaking of uh city council, we will um Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, so the city's closed. Um and normally we would have a work session on Tuesday, but instead of that we will have our incoming council and outgoing council reception. Um that way we can welcome the new members and say thank you to those who served um their last four years in their term. And that will be here uh at City Hall in the pre-function room, um, which is right across the hall from the city clerk, and that's 5 30 to 7 30. It's free, it's open to the public. You don't have to RSVP, but we hope that you'll come either meet the new counselors or say thank you um to our previous council. And um also want to let people know, mark their calendar for your upcoming state of the city address.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yeah, it's gonna be much different than

Haley Sue Robinson:

it will be a lot different

Mayor, Heather Graham:

than what we've previously done.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Yeah, so that will be uh Tuesday, February 3rd, and that's going to be at the public convention center from 430 to 7. No, 430 to 630. And um also no RSVP required some light refreshments, but it's going to be like an open house style event. You'll give an address still. Um, but then we'll have all our departments available for folks to come and visit, learn about the projects we completed in 2025, maybe ask questions about what we're gonna do in 2026. So looking forward to that.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yeah.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Great. Okay, thanks, Mayor. Uh, just want to remind our listener, you can find us on Spotify, YouTube, Buzz Sprout, Apple, wherever you get your podcasts, and watch us on channel seventeen. Want to encourage you to like, subscribe, and share with your friends. And thank you for listening. We will see you next week.