During its meeting Tuesday, the Ogden City Council voted to allocate $5 million of the $8 million American Rescue Plan Act funds that had been earmarked into the Capital Improvement Plan toward the acquisition of the former Weber Correctional Facility, which is located directly to the west of the Ogden Municipal Building.

According to Ogden City Communications Director Mike McBride, the demolition of the former jail has been a long-term goal of the city.

“This idea has been part of the city’s long-term vision for many years, and we’re now in a position to take a step forward,” he said in an email Thursday. “With the City Council’s approval of $5 million in one-time funds, we’ve made a proposal to Weber County to purchase the site. Our intent is to support a collaborative solution — both for downtown development and for broader public safety and shelter needs.”

He said the ball is now in the hands of Weber County.

“At this point, it’s simply a proposal,” he said. “We’ve invited the County to consider it and are fully respectful of their timeline and decision-making process. They’ll determine if, when, and how they want to move forward — and we’re ready to be a supportive partner if and when they do.”

McBride added that the city sees the vacant building as having exhausted its usefulness.

“From our perspective, the building has exceeded its usable life without major reinvestment, and its condition makes repurposing highly impractical,” he said. “At the same time, removing the structure opens up new possibilities for downtown and clears the way for more long-term planning. The timing works–we have one-time funds available, and the site’s current condition makes this an opportunity to take a short-term step toward broader, long-range goals. That said, this is just our viewpoint. We recognize the County has to weigh its own needs and priorities, and we respect whatever decision they reach.”

He said short-term plans are pretty minimal given the early stage of progress and the hurdles that lie ahead.

“If a partnership moves forward, the near-term idea would be to remove the building and temporarily landscape the space to complement the existing plaza and amphitheater,” he said. “It would create a more welcoming and usable area for community gatherings and events.”

However, McBride said the space could serve a big role in the city’s long-term future if purchase and demolition proceed.

“Long term, the vision is much broader,” he said. “We hope to evolve the entire municipal block into a vibrant downtown plaza — an active, full-service civic space that can host concerts, festivals, and even major international events. One of our aspirational goals is to demonstrate to Olympic planners that Ogden is a serious contender to host something like a Medals Plaza during the 2034 Games.”

He said that, for now, there isn’t a formal timeline of when the next steps will be taken.

“We’ve had encouraging and respectful preliminary conversations with County leaders, and we fully understand that they will need time to evaluate the idea, explore the implications, and consider their own goals,” he said. “There are still many unknowns–especially regarding long-term funding and programmatic partnerships. But we’re committed to working together to explore those questions thoughtfully and at the right pace. By appropriating these funds now, we’ve simply created the ability to have those conversations in earnest, with resources already in hand.”

McBride said the purchase of the property is part of a much longer conversation between the city and county that has been unfolding for years.

“When the County proposed a bond initiative to address public safety and shelter space, we supported that effort,” he said. “When the bond was defeated, all of us were left trying to piece together interim solutions year to year. This proposal is a sincere attempt to move us all closer to something more permanent — and more strategic. At the same time, we believe in making every dollar work in multiple ways. This is not just about one property or one program–it’s about linking public safety, community well-being, and downtown revitalization in a unified, collaborative effort. We’re offering a proposal, not a prescription. And we’re hopeful that with trust, dialogue, and patience, this can lead to something even bigger than we can envision today.”