The sharp bend where Second Street crosses Ute and Pitkin avenues in Grand Junction has been a tangle of competing interest amid planned upgrades to the Interstate 70 Business Loop, but a proposed transit hub could cut this Gordian knot.
For years, Grand Junction has been interested in turning Second Street into a promenade that would incorporate wider sidewalks and landscaping for a space more friendly to pedestrians and bicycles. One concern has always been finding a solution to get those people across Ute and Pitkin.
Meanwhile, the Colorado Department of Transportation has been working through upgrades to I70-B starting near Mesa Mall leading to its most recent work on the fifth phase of that project at the First Street and Grand Avenue intersection.
The Grand Valley Task Force, which has been working for nearly a year on addressing implicit bias in Mesa County, met for its second quarterly progress update Thursday evening.
The Grand Junction City Council approved a contract with FCI Construction to build the new Fire Station 3.
Fire Chief Ken Watkins explained to the City Council, which was holding its first regular meeting with three new council members, why the city is replacing this station at 582 25½ Road.
âThis is our oldest fire station,â Watkins said. âItâs actually over 45 years old. It has a number of maintenance and capital needs. Weâve done an evaluation to determine whether we could have done a more cost-effective remodel, and that didnât look to be successful.â
The station is about half the size of the new stations the city has been building. It also had a number of other issues, including no gender separation in the facility for privacy.
With the city of Grand Junction set to receive $11.7 million through the American Rescue Plan Act, a City Council member is proposing community input to help prioritize where that money is spent.
Council Member Rick Taggart said at Wednesdayâs City Council meeting that he would like the city to form a committee that includes community members and people that represent interest groups from economic development to parks and recreation.
âIâd like to deviate significantly from our normal approach,â Taggart said. âI would very much like to see us put a committee together of folks from the economic development side, folks from the homeless side, nonprofits, public safety.â
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