Brandon Leuallen, The Business Times

In City Manager Mike Bennett’s first full budget cycle, the Grand Junction City Council has adopted a comprehensive 10-Year Capital Improvement Plan (2026 to 2035), a long-term roadmap that outlines future infrastructure spending, major facility construction, equipment, parks improvements and public safety investments.

The plan sets the stage for next year’s construction season while also mapping out aspirational projects further into the future.

The first five years of the plan show a decreasing but positive reserve-fund balance, while years six through 10 function more as a capital “wish list” of potential projects to be studied, designed or pursued as funding becomes available.

29 Road corridor and I-70 interchange design

In 2026, the city will fund final design work for 29 Road improvements and a potential Interstate 70 and 29 Road interchange, a multi-jurisdictional project that would be funded by the city and Mesa County. The plan allocates $3.44 million for design, including a $2 million Congressional Directed Spending award and a pending $1 million Rural and Tribal Assistance Program grant, with the city and county providing the remaining $440,000 local match.

The project also prepares the corridor for multimodal upgrades, including bike lanes, and detached sidewalks. These design plans could also be used to improve 29 Road even if an interchange is not immediately constructed.

Grand Junction Transportation Director Trent Prall said at the city council workshop on Nov. 20 that the city has three years to use the plans and could seek two one-year extensions if necessary.

“We would like to get the rest back out to voters for whatever package that may be here in the next three to four years,” Prall said.

Rec center construction

For the final phase of the Community Recreation Center, the budget allocates $23.3 million for the rec center’s construction, funded by the voter-approved sales-tax increase and a previously issued bond. The project brings the total rec center investment to more than $82 million and includes the continuation of work on the building as well as $2.44 million toward the initial phase of outdoor recreation facilities. The center is scheduled to open in mid to late 2026.

Police Department annex

Another significant public safety investment is the Police Department Annex, with $2 million budgeted in 2026 for design and engineering, followed by an estimated $33 million construction phase in 2027. The city plans to finance the building using Certificates of Participation, which are not subject to TABOR rules that require voter approval for long-term debt.

How COPs work

Instead of issuing voter-approved debt, according to the Colorado Legislative Council Staff’s issue brief Certificates of Participation (Issue Brief 18-09), “in lieu of issuing bonds, or using another form of long-term debt, the state may use a form of lease-purchase agreement called certificates of participation (COPs) to finance the construction of its new facilities.”

Why TABOR doesn’t affect COPs

According to a Colorado Joint Budget Committee briefing that summarizes the controlling Supreme Court rulings on lease-purchase financing, “The Colorado Supreme Court ruled on two separate occasions that the use of COPs does not violate the constitution, primarily because the parties to the COP are not bound to renew the lease annually. Therefore, it does not constitute long-term debt. The General Assembly may choose, without legal repercussion, to not appropriate funds for payments on a leased property; however, if the state chooses to terminate the lease and payments by not making an appropriation for the project, the property would forfeit to the investors.”

North Avenue Multimodal Upgrades

The 2026 plan includes $7.097 million for detached multimodal sidewalks and right-of-way improvements on North Avenue between 28 1/2 Road and I-70B. The project is funded largely through Federal Transportation Alternatives Program dollars, state transit funds, and the state Multimodal Options Fund.

Whitman Park and other projects: Long-Range but Not Yet Funded

Whitman Park, which was shut down and fenced off in September 2023, does not show any funding until 2031. The plan lists “Whitman Park Improvements, Planning and Design” at $4.63 million, but the entire amount appears in the 2031 through 2035 window.

The downtown-to-Dos Rios bike and pedestrian bridge is listed, and It shows no funding in the first five years, $900,000 dollars in the sixth year, and $7.5 million dollars in the seventh year.

The Fourth and Fifth Street improvements are also on the list and left unfunded in the initial years. Beginning in Year 6, it has $200,000 listed and increases to $1.03 million by Year 10.

Another long-range project, the Union Pacific Railroad downtown quiet zone, has no funding in the first five years and lists $1.2 million in Year 6.

Additional notable 2026 projects

The 2026 budget includes $1.1 million for the Ranchman’s Ditch Trail, $1 million to rebuild the Riverside Parkway retaining wall, and $295,050 for traffic signal upgrades. It also allocates $3.747 million for street maintenance, $6 million for widening D 1/2 Road from 29 1/4 Road to 30 Road, and $162,500 dollars for a new greenhouse at the Botanical Gardens.

Other improvements include $320,000 for trail replacements and $80,000 for renovating Lilac Park.

Capital Reserve Fund Levels drop significantly 

The city’s two largest capital funds, Fund 201 and Fund 207, show planned drawdowns in the capital plan as projects move forward. They do not include future grants or adjustments that may be made during the yearly budget process.

Fund 201 begins 2026 with $4.09 million and ends the year with $2.21 million after funding a wide range of parks, trails, facilities and neighborhood-level improvements. By Year 5 the balance is $850,370. 

Fund 207, the Transportation Capacity Fund, starts 2026 with a much larger balance of $34.88 million. That amount falls to $15.2 million by the end of 2026. The balance after five years is $582,4341, showing a nearly $34 million decrease in the fund balance without future grants or other new revenue sources.