The Salida Natural Resource Center Development Corporation (NRCDC), a non-profit corporation, today announced that it has engaged a development team lead by Denver based Buchanan Yonushewski Group, LLC (BYG).
BYG is a firm who offers their clients a single source planning, architecture, and construction delivery approach while maximizing communication and collaboration to give clients the right information, at the right time, to make informed decisions. BYG assisted a private owner with design and preconstruction services winning the right to construct then constructing the U.S. Forest Service building in Leadville. “The NRCDC is very fortunate for the opportunity to have as qualified and experienced a firm as BYG to assist us with the development of the Natural Resource Center. This project is a critical piece of the future of Salida and Chaffee County” said Jack Lewis, President of the NRCDC.
The Natural Resource Center (NRC) is an effort that has been talked about for the past seven years. The NRC will be a campus of natural resource agencies offering the public a “one stop shopping” experience for the services offered by those agencies. County Commissioner Tim Glenn has been the leader of the effort since its conception and is currently a Board member of the NRCDC. Mr. Glenn states “this project has been a passion of mine for years. We have worked countless hours with the State of Colorado agencies, BLM, the U.S. Forest Service and others to see if we could be the first in the Country to build this type of facility. The NRCDC fully understands that to get the Forest Service on the site we have to compete for that right and our action today by hiring BYG is a big step to being successful in that effort.”
The U.S. Forest Service recently issued a pre-solicitation seeking new office and shop space in the Salida area along U.S. Hwy 50. The NRDC Board responded to this pre-solicitation offering to construct new facilities on the East side of U.S. Hwy 50 on the Vandaveer Ranch property.
In ongoing efforts to create the NRC, the NRDC Board consisting of Tim Glenn, Dara MacDonald and Jack Lewis issued a Solicitation in December seeking qualified development teams to assist with the design, construction and financing of the project. The NRDC Board spent the better part of the past two weeks screening, interviewing and evaluating the seven proposals received. Four teams were selected to be interviewed based on the quality of the proposal and fulfilling the stated requirements of what type of team the Board was seeking.
Since those interviews the Board has been evaluating the written proposals and interview material, contacting references and contemplating the criteria by which a selection would be made. “The selection criterion have been a real struggle to clearly articulate especially when considering the concept of using local talent. That had to be balanced with trying to determine which team would give the NRCDC the best shot at winning the U.S. Forest Service process and attracting other agencies to locate at the site” Lewis stated. “We always had to be cognizant that this is the highest priority of the City Council and as stated before something that is very important to our future here in Salida.”
After all the input and evaluation the Board collectively came to the conclusion that the BYG team gives the NRCDC the best shot at bringing the Natural Resource Center to fruition. A lot of work lies ahead in continuing to work with the State to get their commitment to the project, putting together a winning proposal for the U.S. Forest Service, and talking to other potential partners for space at the site. Dara MacDonald, “We have made a big step today but we have a lot of work ahead. To create something that has not been done before is a huge task. We hope that the community will see the true benefit of the Center and really get behind our efforts.”
The BYG team will begin work immediately to design the proposed site and facilities on the East side of U.S. Hwy 50 in the Vandaveer Ranch. Partners in the BYG team include Buchanan Yonushewski Group, Human Impact Partners, YRG Sustainability, Queen of the River Consultants, REGen Development Consultants and Natural Habitats.
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