AUGUST 12 - 19, 2026
THE DEFINITIVE SOURCE FOR GRAND JUNCTION BUSINESS & COMMUNITY NEWS SINCE 1994
Voters may decide if pool sinks or swims
VOLUME 33, ISSUE 31
THEBUSINESSTIMES.COM
Forming CMU’s Future
Brandon Leuallen
G
The Business Times
rand Junction voters could decide in November whether to approve a small sales-tax increase to renovate and continue operating the 43-year-old Orchard Mesa Pool after City Council members expressed broad support on Aug. 3 for placing the question on the ballot. According to City Manager Mike Bennett, the city does not currently have the revenue to absorb another long-term operating subsidy while also subsidizing the new Community Recreation Center, meeting debt obligations from previous projects and covering rising operational costs across city government. When Grand Junction voters approved the Community Recreation Center in 2019, the city’s long-term financial plan assumed many Orchard Mesa Pool users would transition to the new facility after it opened and the Orchard Mesa Pool closed. As construction of the Community Recreation Center progressed, many residents said they did not realize the long-term financial plan anticipated the Orchard Mesa Pool would close. That concern led a group of Orchard Mesa and other local residents to form the Save Orchard Mesa Pool campaign, which has spent the past several years advocating for preserving the facility through public meetings, City Council workshops and community outreach. See story Page 5
Colorado Mesa University’s Formation District is a campus quadrant, strategic development plan, community connector and expression of identity — See Page 2 This photo taken via drone in January 2026 shows construction being done in the southwest quadrant of the Colorado Mesa University campus, an area known as the Formation District. CMU has completed several structures in the Formation District in recent years, but when it comes to what the university ultimately wants to accomplish with the district, President John Marshall said, “We’re just scratching the surface.” Photo courtesy of Colorado Mesa University.
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