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Construction and History of the CRC
2025 Progress Photos
.jpeg "CRC Construction Progress 1-07-2025 (28)")
2024 Progress Photos
Construction Timeline
2025
City Council approved the outdoor amenities at the CRC on Wednesday, October 15. Elements of the outdoor construction include an overflow parking lot, a multi-purpose turf field, a walkway to the field, outdoor fitness turf, and a pavilion.
Funding for the amenities has largely come from donations and grants, including $500,000 from Great Outdoors Colorado, $500,000 from the Daniels Fund, and a $1 million generous donation from Bill and Donna Patterson.
On Friday, August 8, City leaders held a steel topping ceremony to celebrate the construction progress. Construction crews hoisted the final steel beam into place at the highest point of the building after project contributors had the opportunity to sign it.
Pre-Construction Timeline
2024
A groundbreaking event for the new facility was held on Saturday, June 1, at Matchett Park. Approximately 400 community members were in attendance.
City Council adopted the final plan in November 2022. This became the basis for an April 2023 ballot initiative approved by voters that included a 0.14% sales tax increase and the debt necessary to make the facility a reality. Community engagement over the course of several decades, including meetings, presentations, focus groups, and opportunities for inpu,t has resulted in the final design of the new Community Recreation Center.
Barker Rinker Seacat, the lead architect, headed up the design team that included many local engineers and architects, was selected after a Request for Proposals (RFP) was distributed in 2023. The group used the concept design from the 2022 CRC plan as the basis for design and incorporated public feedback provided over the years. Following the public engagement session last fall, the design was completed and was presented to the community on April 30, 2024.
The other important aspect of the project was the process of identifying the Construction Manager/General Contractor, which was conducted through another RFP, resulting in the selection of FCI. FCI provided a cost estimate to keep the project on budget. They managed the groundbreaking on June 1, 2024, and they will oversee approximately two years of construction. The approximate grand opening of the Grand Junction Community Recreation Center is scheduled for late 2026.
The City worked with Barker Rinker Seacat (BRS), partnered with Chamberlin Architecture for the final design of the community recreation center. View the presentation.
During the 2022 planning process for the community recreation center, the City received feedback from the community and Parks and Recreation Advisory Board(PRAB), regarding the addition of a physical therapy provider similar to surrounding area recreation facilities. Initial discussions were held with potential providers, which then led to a formal solicitation asking for a request for proposals relating to a partnership for a therapy space in the community recreation center.
Intermountain Health St. Mary's Regional Hospital was selected through the formal RFP process and was approved by the City Council in early 2024. Following the Council's approval of the agreements, physical therapy space is now included in the community recreation center. Those recovering from major health issues such as hip replacement, knee replacement, or worse, will be able to receive therapy at the facility.
Funding from Intermountain Health St. Mary's Regional Hospital, along with a significant grant secured from the Department of Local Affairs, has enabled an additional approximately 20,000 square feet in building size. Most of the increased square footage was added space and public amenities in the aquatic space, increasing from three pools planned in the 2022 CRC plan to five pools. The number of group fitness rooms also increased, going from two rooms to three rooms, and the number of community rooms went from two rooms to three rooms.
2023
The City of Grand Junction held a public forum focused on the Community Recreation Center (CRC) design on Tuesday, September 19, beginning at 5 p.m. at the Lincoln Park Barn. Community members attended to learn about the potential design and provide input on the various concepts. View the presentation.
The public forum provided community members with an opportunity to offer input on the evolving design of the new CRC. Barker Rinker Seacat (BRS), partnered with Chamberlin Architecture, was awarded the architect and engineer contract. BRS provided a presentation showing how the concept design in the 2022 CRC plan, which was the basis for the voter-approved ballot proposal, evolved. As public feedback drove the creation of the 2022 CRC plan, public feedback was used to guide the design of the facility. In this way, the CRC will be a reflection of the uniqueness of Grand Junction and a celebration of the Grand Junction community.
On April 4, 2023, ballot issue 1A passed 60% to 40%.
2022
Community Recreation Center Feasibility Study (CRC) (PDF) - Adopted by City Council on November 16, 2022.
A CRC was identified as the top priority in the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Master Plan (PROS). The CRC planning process has been guided by numerous surveys, focus groups, and meetings over the years, as the CRC plan evolved. The most recent statistically valid survey was conducted by Professors from Colorado Mesa University (CMU). Many of the outcomes of this survey that represent the broader Grand Junction guided the main elements in the City Council adopted 2022 CRC Plan. Click here to read the full survey report.
The CRC planning process was divided into three distinct phases or work sessions. Phase 1 focused on site location, Phase 2 focused on funding and building program, and Phase 3 was focused on a complete preliminary plan.
The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (PRAB) has led the analysis of all the public input and information received, along with numerous other data points and public engagement. This process was driven by community input so that the final plan reflected and was grounded in what the community has stated it needs.
PRAB Board Members (L to R): City Councilor Phil Pe'a, Kyle Gardner, Lilly Grisafi, Cindy Enos-Martinez, Nancy Strippel, William Findlay, Lisa Whalin, Gary Schroen, Band yron Wiehe.
Not pictured: Austin Solko
A Letter from PRAB
My name is Bill Findlay. I am a retired Pediatrician, and I serve as the Chair of the PRAB subcommittee for the Community Recreation. Center planning. This committee includes all members of PRAB shown in the picture above. PRAB is a City Council-appointed group of volunteers to advise the Parks and Recreation Development and the City Council on matters related to parks and recreation. Council assigned us the task of guiding the planning for the CRC, a process that has recently concluded.
Read the full letter from Bill Findlay.
In Phase 3, the Design and Operational Plan Presentation (PDF) was shown during various focus group meetings, to the PRAB, and to the community on September 19 and 20. To view the full video presentation that captures the full plan, check out the project page on GJSpeaks.org. This presentation merged all elements from the previous phase, including location and funding sources, to offer a complete "picture" of the proposed Community Recreation Center concept design. The concept design included renderings and images so residents can understand and visualize themselves and their families in a possible Grand Junction CRC. The building concept incorporated design threads taken directly from public input from previous work sessions. It also included operational components such as staffing, cost recovery, fees for admission, and hours of operations, among other elements. Community members are encouraged to view the entire GJ Speaks presentation to fully understand the current plan and to then provide comments on GJ Speaks to be included in the final report coming in November. These comments will be shared with the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board to inform these deliberations on the near-complete plan. Providing comments also ensures the community continues to drive the plan for what would be the community's Recreation Center.
The Community Recreation Center Funding Presentation (PDF) was provided to the City Council and at various work sessions to the PRAB and community on July 18 and 19. Please click here to see a summarized video presentation on GJ Speaks. The video is located at the bottom of the GJ Speaks page. Discussion surrounded funding and two building programs, one with a total project cost of $55M at approximately 65,000 square feet in size and the other with a total project cost of $70M at approximately 83,000 square feet in size. Cannabis tax revenue devoted to parks and recreation was approved by voters in April 2021. While substantial, this funding source alone will not cover the cost to build a CRC in Grand Junction, and a second funding source is needed. A survey conducted by professors from Colorado Mesa University in early 2022 revealed a majority support for any one of three potential second funding sources:
- 67% definite or probable support for a 0.15% sales tax;
- 69% for a 3 mill increase (property tax);
- 79% supported a tax on nicotine products
Given this, the second Public Work Session focused on drilling further down on this result. The work session also described the two possible building programs, including the highest needs based on the CRC survey. The primary difference is the size and extent of each component. For example, both have leisure pools, fitness/weights, and gym space. The larger version would have larger visions of these and additional components.
The $55M option could be funded in one of three ways:
- Cannabis revenue already secured + 0.1% sales tax increase
- Cannabis revenue already secured + 2 mill property tax increase
- Cannabis revenue already secured + $3 per pack tax on cigarettes, plus a nicotine tax on all other products such as vaping, chew, and cigars
The $70M option could be funded in one of three ways:
- Cannabis revenue already secured + 0.15% sales tax increase
- Cannabis revenue already secured + 3 mill property tax increase
- Cannabis revenue already secured + $3 per pack tax on cigarettes plus a nicotine tax on all other products, such as vaping, chew, and cigars
After Phase 1, and after reviewing all the public input, PRAB made a unanimous recommendation to the City Council to pursue Matchett Park as the location for the potential CRC. City Council then approved Matchett Park as the potential location.
To further verify and understand community needs, the City teamed up with professors from Colorado Mesa University to conduct a statistically valid phone survey. This validated the community's need to establish a location and willingness to fund it.
2021
The Community Recreation Center was the highest priority in the 2021 PROS Master Plan.