COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—The U.S. Olympic Committee wants free office space if it keeps its headquarters in Colorado Springs, according to a document the city released Wednesday.
USOC consultant James Didion wrote to the city that while the committee is prepared to cover the costs of ongoing operations, “we’re not capable of funding a lease, or any acquisition cost in a purchase.”
The e-mail is one of several documents released by the Colorado Springs city attorney’s office in response to a Gazette suit filed last month, seeking access to correspondence between the USOC and city under the Colorado Open Records Act.
The city also released a document it sent to four local real estate developers, seeking proposals on how they could address the USOC’s needs for new facilities.
City officials have been talking to the USOC, which said last month that it was evaluating proposals to possibly move its headquarters to other cities.
The USOC has said it needs new quarters because its current site in Colorado Springs is old and cramped. USOC spokesman Darryl Seibel said the organization doesn’t have a deadline for making a decision.
The USOC moved to Colorado Springs from New York City in 1978. Its 34-acre campus includes the committee’s headquarters, offices for national bodies overseeing different sports and an Olympic training center that draws athletes from across the country.
Business and civic leaders have offered financial incentives, free office space and other perks through the years to keep the USOC in Colorado Springs.
The city has refused to release its proposal to the USOC that spells out how it would meet the organization’s needs. City officials said disclosing details of their bid would harm the public because other cities would learn about the offer and outbid the city.
The city has also refused to disclose which local developers were asked to submit proposals to respond to the USOC’s needs.
The Gazette continues to press its lawsuit for release of the bid proposal. The newspaper has also asked a judge to order the city to pay the newspaper’s legal fees of $4,500.
Settlement talks between The Gazette and city broke down late Tuesday, and an initial and a hearing is scheduled for Nov. 30.
