RAPID CITY - Mayor Jim Shaw says talks are under way with an individual who wants to build a 750-space parking ramp on the north side of the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center that would access North Street and connect to the arena.

"It would attach to the arena, so in rain or snow, you could walk right into the arena. It won't cost the taxpayers one penny if it comes to fruition in the coming weeks and months," Shaw said.

Shaw said the individual, whom he did not identify, has wanted to build parking at the civic center for a long time. When it became clear the city had no funds to build a ramp, the individual asked if it could be built privately.

"This individual said, 'Maybe we can do it privately.' I said if you can, that's great," Shaw said.

Shaw said the person wants to stay out of the spotlight for now. Currently, he believes, the person is investigating how to make the project pencil out. Although unsure of a timeline, Shaw said the discussion is legitimate and not someone floating a general idea.

"I haven't talked to them for a couple weeks, but the last I knew, things were moving right along," he said. "Basically, we had a conversation, and this individual is very insistent and long thought we should do this - and with the new addition, he really thinks so."

Shaw described the talks as more than informal, but there isn't a solid plan that is ready to be presented.

Cost has prevented the city from building a ramp itself. Shaw said there are a many different numbers being thrown out, but one estimate suggested $20,000 per parking space. To build 750 stalls at that price would mean a $15 million project.

"That's what we said, as a city, way back. We just don't have the dollars right now to build that. I think it's a great idea, but even if we wanted to, our money in 2012 is really tied up," Shaw said.

Brian Maliske, civic center general manager, was surprised to hear of the plan but excited about the possibility.

"I like that idea," he said. "It would be wonderful if we had somebody looking at that."

In the past, when the civic center has considered options for increasing parking, cost has always been an issue. Maliske said six months ago the estimated cost to simply build a flat, ground-level parking lot was about $1,000 per stall.

"We looked at trying to do something on the north end of the arena, and they were estimating somewhere between $3,500 and $5,000 a stall because they'd have put in some retaining walls," he said. "And when we looked at a parking-ramp type of structure it was coming in somewhere around $18,000 a stall."

Maliske said the civic center has 3,620 parking spots on site or shared with Central High School and The Journey Museum within a few blocks. But he agreed that people still want parking available closer to the facility.

"We have a number of senior citizens who come to a lot of events here, and if it gets cold and miserable outside people just want to be close," he said. "Nobody wants to run 200 yards through the rain, so anything that is close and covered would be very desirable."

Shaw said the proposal, as he understands it, would dig into the hill on the north side of the civic center and attach to the facility. It would be paid for privately, without city funds, and probably would entail paid parking.

"They've been looking at various ways to figure out what's the best way to make it work, how they should proceed. There will probably be a charge for it," Shaw said.

An agreement would need to be worked out for the city-owned land if the project becomes a reality, but to Shaw, the concept is similar to the public-private partnership on the Rushmont building downtown.

"There's land. It's unused. It's not on the tax roll. Maybe we can transfer it over to these folks. It seems to make good sense to me," he said.

Contact Scott Aust at 394-8415 or scott.aust@rapidcityjournal.com