Phil Castle, The Business Times

Intermountain Health St. Mary’s Regional Hospital will donate $3 million to support the construction of a new community recreation center in Grand Junction.

The hospital will contribute another $1.5 million to open a clinic in the center for physical therapy and primary care visits.

The Grand Junction City Council approved the proposal on first reading and was expected to vote a final time at what was scheduled as a March 6 meeting.

The announcement at a news conference culminated about 18 months of talks between the hospital and the City of Grand Junction, said Bryan Johnson, president of St. Mary’s Regional Hospital.

The announcement also affirmed the nearly 130-year mission of the hospital to improve the health of the community and keep residents out of the hospital, Johnson said. Joining with the city in supporting a recreation center offers a way to do that, he said. “As partners, we can do more together than we can alone.”

The donation is one of the largest ever for St. Mary’s and the first for a recreation center, Johnson said.

The City of Grand Junction expects to  construct a more than 100,000-square foot community recreation center on 205 acres of Matchett Park.

City voters approved in 2023 an increase in city sales and use taxes from 3.25 percent to 3.39 percent, enabling the city to increase debt up to $70 million with a repayment cost of $148.5 million to construct, equip and operate the center. Taxes on cannabis sales also will fund the facility.

The total budget for the project is estimated at about $82 million with completion tentatively set for early 2026.

The center will include sports courts, an indoor track, fitness and weight areas and meeting spaces. The center also will include a six-lane lap pool, warm therapy pool, plunge pool and water slides. The aquatic area will be named the Intermountain Health St. Mary’s Regional Hospital Pools in recognition of the contribution.

Opening a clinic in the center will afford an opportunity to provide physical therapy and primary care services in a place where patients can work with therapists and use the warm therapy pool, Johnson said. The city will lease the clinic space to St. Mary’s.

St. Mary’s also expects to collaborate with the city on wellness education and health events at the rec center.

Grand Junction Mayor Anna Stout praised what she called “an amazing gift,” one she said will enable the city to overdeliver on its promises to voters in constructing the recreation center.

In addition to the 18 months of talks between the city and hospital, efforts to construct a recreation center in Grand Junction date back more than 40 years, Stout said.

She said she’s grateful those efforts soon will come to fruition in a new center as well as a place that will promote the health and quality of life of residents.