I can't believe it has been more than a year and 1/2 since the Community Recreation Center (CRC) opened! It seems like just yesterday we were planning to open the new CRC, but that was already 18 months ago. I can't thank the community enough for the incredible level you have used and supported our new facilities during that time! One of those facilities is the outdoor pool at the Field House, which reopened in May. If you haven't been to the Field House this summer I suggest you drop by and see what it has to offer. You will be amazed to see the number of people using the outdoor pool, especially when you consider that the indoor aquatic facilities at the CRC have remained busy as well.

This tremendous growth in the past two years was made possible by our partnerships with other local entities, such as the City of Montrose, and leveraging revenue generated in Montrose with grant dollars from entities such as Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA), the Daniels Fund and others. The MRD continues to pursue those partnerships and grants in order to improve the quality of life in Montrose. To that end, two big projects that the MRD is currently involved with right now include the Connect Trail and the Holly Park and Riverbottom Road projects.

While writing this note I have been thinking about the fact that when we moved to Montrose in 2007 we lived in English Gardens and our children ranged in age from 18 months to 6 years. At that time we wished that there was an underpass of Townsend Ave. so that our family could safely access Riverbottom and Cerise Parks. Thanks to a partnership with the City and a $2,000,000 Connect Trail grant from GOCO, design is currently underway for an underpass of Townsend Ave. at Dry Cedar Creek, an underpass of Main St. at the Uncompahgre River, and 2.25 miles of trail extension. This project is a huge improvement for the community, but benefits the MRD directly by providing a safe connection for pedestrians and cyclists to the CRC.

Holly Park has needed renovation at least since we moved here 11 years ago. Rather than simply putting together a project that would only renovate Holly Park, the MRD and the City have again partnered to jointly design and apply for a DOLA grant that would enable the MRD to renovate Holly Park and the City to widen Riverbottom Drive to improve traffic congestion during the many events. It will also provide a grand entrance to the many components of the beautiful Baldridge Regional Park. Thank you to all those that stopped by the displays and offered comment at the public open house on June 27 ^th as it provided great ideas to incorporate into the design. If you missed it, you can see the design plans in the CRC lobby.

I hope you are looking forward to these future improvements as much as I am and thank you for continuing to support the MRD by using our existing facilities and participating in the myriad of activities you will find in this guide!

 

Jason Ullmann, MRD Board President