COLORADO SPRING, Colo. – The City of Colorado Springs’ Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services (PRCS) department is seeking responses from qualified entities for the use and operation of the Westside Community Center. The City will explore options that allow the westside facility to serve as a vibrant and financially viable community hub providing substantial and sustained benefits to the community.
Residents are invited to learn more about the City’s goals and the request for proposal (RFP) process at a public information session on Tuesday, Oct. 12 at 5:30 p.m. at the Westside Community Center, 1628 West Bijou Street. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ("ADA"), the City of Colorado Springs will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities. Anyone requiring an auxiliary aid or service to participate in this hearing should make the request as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event. Citizens who are deaf and hard of hearing may dial 711 or 800-659-3656 Relay Colorado (voice) or 800-659-2656 (TTY).
“We have heard clearly from the westside community that it is a priority that the Westside Community Center remains a community center,” said Kim King. “We absolutely agree and are committed to making that happen. It’s our hope that this renewed process finds an operator that can reduce the maintenance and cost demands of the facility while continuing to support and foster activities that benefit the westside neighborhood and the community as a whole.”
The RFP will post on ColoradoSprings.gov on Oct. 15 with responses due by Nov. 5, 2021. As outlined in the RFP, multiple organizations may join together to operate the facility, and successful applicant(s) will maximize the use of the facility’s spaces through a business model that introduces revitalized and innovative programs and services. The proposals will be evaluated by a team of individuals representing multiple facets of the community, including residents and members from the PRCS advisory board and PRCS department.
The Center for Strategic Ministry, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, currently operates the facility, however, the current agreement expires on December 31, 2021. The City first issued an RFP seeking a new operator in Nov. 2020, announcing on July 2, 2021 that it had been unsuccessful in coming to a mutual agreement with its top applicants. Since the first RFP was released, the City has set aside $1.375 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding towards prioritized capital improvements.