U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, left, and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, take a look at the South Platte River near the National Western Stock Show campus last weekend. (Photo by Gardner’s office)
U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner took a tour over the weekend of the National Western Stock Show to scope out Denver city officials’ plans for a massive project on the site.
Those plans will get a boost Wednesday when Gov. John Hickenlooper signs legislation , by entering lease-purchase agreements, to pay for much of Colorado State University’s role in the new National Western Center. Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and stock show leaders have a $856 million plan — in addition to the newly approved state funding — into a year-round tourism, event and education center.
But Hancock, a Democrat who was on hand for the Republican senator’s weekend tour of the stock show and other sites north of downtown, also is pursuing federal avenues to help projects that are part of . Gardner wasn’t the first lawmaker to get a look at the project areas.
“As we have done with some of our other federal delegation members, we did an NDCC tour with Senator Gardner to discuss the projects and how we might partner with the federal government on the projects, from infrastructure to grants,” NDCC director Kelly Leid wrote in an e-mail. “These are informal, informational tours to get folks grounded in the work effort.”
Here are more photos that Gardner’s office posted:
Enjoyed touring the National Western Center site with this past weekend.
— Cory Gardner (@SenCoryGardner)
