Riverfront Comes To Life With Outdoor Concert Venue
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (CBS4)- For the past few decades, a dream of building a sprawling Colorado riverside park was just that-- a dream. Until now.
Las Colonias Park represents 130 acres and sits adjacent to downtown Grand Junction on the Western Slope of Colorado.
Soon, a nearly $6 million amphitheater will open to the public and that is spurring lots of new development in the area.
Las Colonias Park will soon see a new outdoor recreation business park added, boat ramp and dog park. All of this started once funding was secured for the new amphitheater.
"The design embraces multi-functional opportunities for small, medium, and large crowds surrounded by the perfect backdrop along the Colorado River and adjacent to the Colorado Riverfront Trail," Traci Wieland, recreation superintendent with the city of Grand Junction, said.
The community raised $2.1 million locally to match a $1.6 million grant from the Department of Local Affairs. Local fundraising support poured in from nearly a dozen different sources including the Downtown Development Authority, Riverfront Foundation, Goodwin Foundation, Bacon Family Foundation, Grand Junction Lions Club, El Pomar Foundation, Gates Family Foundation, Department of Energy, Navarro, and the City of Grand Junction.
Community members says this will give them a place to gather and build relationships with neighbors. United Way Mesa County has already lined up to host a concert at the newly built site this summer.
"We are happy to be one of the first groups to benefit from this awesome project here," United Way of Mesa County spokesperson Honora Thompson told CBS4.
The new stage opens in a few weeks and other projects are in the works for the next few years.
Matt Kroschel covers news throughout Colorado working from the CBS4 Mountain Newsroom. Send story ideas to mrkroschel@cbs.com and connect with him on Twitter @Matt_Kroschel.