Renovation of a fire / police facility in Rifle, Colorado. Completed plans call for the renovation of a fire / police facility.

https://www.postindependent.com/news/rifle-city-council-hears-updates-on-spear-long-term-capital-projects/ Rifle City Council received updates Wednesday on the Special Problem Enforcement and Response Task Force and the city’s possible capital and maintenance projects over the next five years. No decisions were made during the work session. SPEAR Task Force Lt. Mike Kuper, interim chief of the Rifle Police Department, spoke to council about the Special Problem Enforcement and Response Task Force, known as SPEAR, which includes law enforcement agencies from multiple municipalities. SPEAR was formed in 2022 by Garfield County after combining the work of the Two Rivers Drug Enforcement Team, or TRIDENT, and the Threat Assessment Group, or TAG. Kuper described SPEAR as a major crimes unit that operates independently of any single law enforcement agency in Garfield County. “They can work narcotics as it leaves state borders, they can track things and work with that federal system seamlessly, whereas if you’re not plugged into it, it’s very cumbersome,” Kuper said. Council did not discuss leaving SPEAR during the session. “What’s being pushed out is that SPEAR is affiliated with ICE and ERO,” Kuper said. “That’s simply not the case.” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Enforcement and Removal Operations have been active across the country, and Kuper said SPEAR has a Homeland Security Investigations member and works with Customs and Border Protection when drugs cross state lines. “It’s difficult to make those things work when we don’t have that liaison,” Kuper said. “There’s a lot of rumors being circulated that they’re helping immigration and transporting ICE detainees and all kinds of things, but none of that has been substantiated.” Kuper said, to his knowledge, no lawsuits have been filed concerning SPEAR members transporting people for ICE or otherwise assisting with immigration enforcement. “We’re prohibited by state law from sharing information with immigration specifically,” Kuper said. “If we were to call ICE and say that we think someone is here illegally, that could not only open us up to criminal charges, but to lawsuits as well.” The Rifle Police Department regularly asks SPEAR for assistance, Kuper said, primarily with drug cases, suspicious cases, homicides and other investigations. Law enforcement agencies with officers assigned to SPEAR pay the salaries of those officers. Capital improvement plan Craig Spaulding, Rifle’s civil engineer, presented council with a list of possible capital and maintenance projects for 2026-31. The projects were identified across the city’s wastewater, water, street and general funds, with about 48% categorized as maintenance and 52% as capital projects. Spaulding said city staff ranked projects based on necessity, from essential needs to items that would be nice to have. Major projects identified in the plan include barricades and trucks for special events, rekeying doors at the Rifle Police Department and the emergency exit in the courtroom, replacing exterior doors at the water treatment plant, constructing the South Lift Station, Park and Ride improvements, the Colorado Highway 13 pedestrian bridge and corridor, and other projects. About 150 projects were identified, with an estimated total cost of $217.5 million. Spaulding recommended spending $333,000 annually from the general fund over the next 10 years for facility maintenance projects. The median project cost is about $15,000, though some projects would be significantly more expensive. A new Rifle Police Department building, for example, could cost about $10 million if the city decides to pursue it. Many of the projects could be eligible for grants, Spaulding said. Rifle regularly applies for funding with assistance from agencies including the Colorado Department of Local Affairs and the Federal Mineral Lease District. “Not every project has to be done and a lot of these are maintenance, like doors that need to be fixed, little things that improve quality of life,” Spaulding said. ------------------------------------------------------------ Reference Number 0000422031 Source ID PU.AG.USA.2382679.C17052326 Piggyback Contract No Question Deadline 05/14/2026 at 12:00 PM MT Please issue all questions via email to Iris Trevisano at itrevisano@rifleco.org. Bonding Requirements - Bid Bond 5 % - Performance Bond 100 % - Payment Bond 100 % Project Scope: o Furnish labor and materials to tuckpoint all damaged mortar on entire building and annex building. o Furnish labor and materials to replace broken and missing block. o Furnish labor and materials to remove and replace precast on the roof access wall that is o damaged. o Furnish labor and materials to install precast on the trash enclosure wall