In the history of Grand Junction, there has never been a community recreation center. While attempts were made to build one in the past, none of them came to fruition. But that’s about to change as an official Grand Junction Community Recreation Center (CRC) is being built at 2836 Recreation Way, which can be seen north of Patterson Road in Matchett Park right now.

How this came about was from the city’s Parks, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Master Plan which put the CRC’s construction as a top priority in 2021, according to gjcity.org. Then Intermountain Health St. Mary’s Regional Hospital provided additional funds along with a Department of Local Affairs grant. As a result, the CRC’s space grew more than 20,000 square feet to accommodate the various amenities the center will have once it’s fully built.

These amenities include: five indoor swimming pools, an indoor climbing wall, a three-lane indoor running track, a fitness gym, community rooms for public events and a therapy clinic. Now a significant part of the CRC’s design is “to connect the inside and outside,” says CRC superintendent Emily Krause. For this reason, large glass windows will be on the CRC’s east wall facing Mount Garfield with garage doors around the center for easy outside access.

The CRC isn’t just being built for recreational purposes, as the current Grand Junction city manager Mike Bennett considers it “a generational investment for the community of Grand Junction. It’s not a project for just one moment in time.” Thus, the CRC will not only reflect Grand Junction’s natural landscape with its outdoor-focused design but also fulfill a longterm need for Grand Junction’s community. Parks and Recreation director Ken Sherbenou agrees, saying the community lacks certain amenities, “a lot of it revolving around aquatics.” The CRC, he adds, will address that need and stand out from Grand Junction’s many existing fitness centers and health clubs.

As it stands, the CRC is about a third of the way through its construction with pipes being laid out for the pools, interior walls being built and no furniture except for wooden stairs that lead up to the center’s empty second floor. But Bennett and Sherbenou estimate the center’s construction will likely be completed by late 2026 or early 2027 at the latest. In addition, there will be a winter/spring activity guide mailed in January 2026 “that is going to list all the different membership options” for the CRC, Sherbenou says. “They’re very much designed to be affordable. This is a community rec center, so we want it to be broadly available to anyone and everyone in the community regardless of background.”

For further updates, visit gjcity.org.

Originally published in the winter 2025-26 issue of Spoke+Blossom.

Grand Junction Community Recreation Center: Construction Update for 2026