Grand Junction management decides future of Orchard Mesa Pool behind closed doors

GRAND JUNCTION, Colorado (KKCO) – The fate of Orchard Mesa Pool appears to have been decided behind closed doors.

Our newsroom submitted a CORA request via email on December 21, 2022. Among city, county and district officials on Dec. 23, 2022, Grand Junction Mayor Anna She received an email telling a different story than what Stout is saying.

KKCO 11 News has been following the situation in Orchard Mesapur from both a community and government perspective. At the city council meeting on December 21, 2022, Stout said the pool discussion was not about closing, but rather in a “community feedback session” to see what could be done to keep the pool operating according to certain terms. I said yes.

“We are currently in negotiations to define the roles and responsibilities of each party to keep the pool open for a specified period of time and under specified conditions,” Stout said at the time.

When we reached out to Mayor Stout and her team after the fact to discuss the pool’s future, all they shared was “no updates.”

Since then, emails exchanged between representatives of District 51, Mesa County, and the City of Grand Junction indicate that there are updates coming to the pool. It has a closing date.

On the eve of the December 21 city council meeting, Stout drafted a statement for reading at the hearing.Stout then shared her draft with county commissioner Janet Rowland and school board president Andrea Heights.

Rowland then emailed whether there would be a timeline for the closure with capped repairs, and whether the original draft statement should be amended to send a clearer message about their stance on the pool. I asked him how he felt.

“I wonder if I should be more explicit about the pool being closed,” Rowland said.

After reviewing the email, KKCO 11 News contacted Mayor Stout again for clarification. Mayor Stout reiterated his claim that the pool was not closed.

“There is no proposed end date for pool operations, pool closures, or anything like that,” Stout said. “We are still negotiating. The three parties have not met since their last meeting due to holidays and people’s vacation schedules, so there is no update.”

Despite Stout saying there is no closing date for the pool, according to emails received, the Orchard Mesa pool will have a shelf life of next spring at most. Heitz wrote an email referencing the planned closure date to be read in the proposed opening statement at the city council meeting.

“The City of Grand Junction, Mesa County, and the 51st School District have announced the closure of the Orchard Mesa Pool effective March 30,” Heights said.

Asked about a closing date in March, Stout said it was simply the date to end negotiations on the pool. I claimed.

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