It’s been another busy summer for City Council — June found us in Grand Junction at the Colorado Municipal League gathering. We spent four days going from room to room, trying to take advantage of all the information available. Growth, of course, was the hot topic.

The challenge remains to find a way to learn from the mistakes that have already been made in other places before they become mistakes here! Of course, no one likes to admit they make mistakes, so you have to play detective, listening to what issues they are dealing with now that might be the direct result of the mistakes that weren’t made back then. I do know that no one makes a decision thinking it’s going to stink later on, and it can’t be easy to answer when folks ask what that smell is.

July brought more Music in the Park and a full house for the fireworks on the Fourth. Council has been looking at changing the square footage requirement for building a new home from 1,500 square feet to market demand. The comprehensive plan effort continues. Please make a special effort to attend one or two of these community meetings and participate in helping us shape our future.

Fiber Optics inches closer to becoming a reality for us, the ground has been broken for the new library and soon, the new jail will begin to go up. The City recently purchased additional land adjacent to Smith Lane, where, hopefully, in the future, we will have more ballparks for our players. Bids will be going out this summer for the new Welcome Center and by fall, we may actually see some business in the new industrial park!

The council is also seeking input from the community about taking another look at a recreation center. Yes? No? Maybe? Please let us know your thoughts on that subject.