The future of the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk of Pueblo’s (HARP) boathouse and channel extension project may have been as up in the air in January 2024 as the boathouse structure’s ceremonial signed beam was on Jan. 10.
Local elected officials, H.W. Houston construction crews and other community stakeholders gathered at the sight of the incoming boathouse, 185 S. Santa Fe Ave., on Friday to celebrate the completion of the boathouse’s structure.
H.W. Houston Construction crew members shake hands atop a signed beam placed on the Pueblo Riverwalk boathouse structure on Jan. 10, 2025.
Attendees signed the large white beam before it was hoisted into fair skies and placed near the boathouse’s rooftop deck by construction crews. During the celebration, Pueblo City Council President Mark Aliff told attendees that the now nearly $16 million project’s completion was in doubt early last year.
“It was seven years ago when I first went on city council and I became a part of the HARP Authority board,” he said. “This was just on paper. When you’re in government, you know that when things are on paper, very few times do they ever come to fruition.”
Pueblo Mayor Heather Graham and City Council President Mark Aliff sign the final structural beam of the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk of Pueblo boathouse on Jan. 10, 2025.
The boathouse and channel extension, also known as the HARP 1A Expansion Project, extends the Riverwalk channel and builds a two-story boathouse with space for public and private gatherings, boat storage and maintenance, public restrooms and ticket sales.
It also will house the HARP Authority office and a pair of conference rooms open for public use. The project is funded by $9 million of Pueblo County 1A Project funds, $3 million in sales and use tax funds, a $1 million Department of Local Affairs grant, and $1 million in grant-matching funds from the city of Pueblo.
Other funding came from the American Rescue Plan Act and the Pueblo Urban Renewal Authority. At the Jan. 10 beam-signing ceremony, Pueblo County Commissioner Zach Swearingen said the boathouse will be an “absolute benefit” to Pueblo that will garner attention from motorists traveling along U.S. Interstate 25.
“I think that this will be a catalyst for more economic development and more growth down here on the Riverwalk,” he said. “Once it’s up, I expect to see everybody back down here spending money and bringing their family and friends down here too.”
Construction for the boathouse and channel extension project began in June 2024. With an estimated completion window of 18 to 24 months, the boathouse could be completed between December 2025 and June 2026.
“(The boathouse) is an incentive for visitors, and for those of us who call Pueblo home, it’s a new opportunity to celebrate the beautiful development and access here to the downtown,” Pueblo Mayor Heather Graham told ceremony attendees.
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Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@gannett.com. Support local news, subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo Riverwalk boathouse project celebrates big milestone