2023 Grand Junction City Council Questionnaire

I could certainly opine on the role our public lands play in the future of our community, but the following quote from the above referenced article summarizes it rather well.

“Longer term trends suggest that not only are people increasing their outdoor recreation, but they are moving to counties rich in natural amenities such as Mesa County, Colorado because of the access to outdoor recreation and the public lands that facilitate access. These trends in outdoor recreation and migration to locations that provide opportunities for outdoor recreation represent a great economic opportunity for rural counties such as Mesa County, Colorado to diversify their economy and develop a strong outdoor recreation identity that provides jobs not only in the tourism industry but also in the manufacturing of outdoor recreation equipment and numerous industries that support this outdoor lifestyle.”

I believe it’s also worth mentioning here that the City of Grand Junction can continue to utilize Visit GJ to promote outdoor recreation through destination marketing. This allows us to use lodging tax dollars to create data driven marketing that can be utilized with some level of precision. For instance, Visit GJ can direct social media advertising in areas that have direct flights to Grand Junction, and further drill down on demographics likely to spend money traveling to Grand Junction to enjoy our outdoor recreation lifestyle.

GJ is already doing a fantastic job promoting the area thru the tourism board, keep that up! I think we need to focus on people that are already here that would be interested in a staycation or discovering something new, as well as younger students. Exposure to our riverfront trail, BLM lands and outdoor rec activities would be a great field trip program thru the local schools. When people enjoy the outdoors they value and protect it as well as spend money on it.

As the owner of one of the state’s most awarded Golf Courses, I value our Outdoor Rec Industry in a way no other candidate does. I have been active in Outdoor Rec discussions and round table meetings with the city’s Visit GJ department and the state of Colorado Tourism department. As a city councilor, I will continue to represent the Outdoor Rec Industry and support Visit GJ in their efforts in getting our message out. I see the role of Outdoor Rec playing a significant part in the diversification of our economy as well as the diversification of our work force and the types of jobs our community offers. The lifestyle that this industry provides to our own staff as well to our community at large can not be understated. The Outdoor Rec Industry pushes for improvements, protections and access to our private and public lands that are used for Outdoor Recreation.

There is no doubt that the word is out; Grand Junction is the hub for western Colorado outdoor recreation. City Council’s role in this is an important one and needs to be part of our long-term strategic plan economically. We can do this through our very effective Visit Grand Junction tourism department. It is funded through lodging tax and has been effective, especially lately and getting a message out that Grand Junction is a great place to visit.

Grand Junction has learned the hard way the pitfalls of having its economy strongly tied to a few volatile industries. Since that fallout, the community has done a good job of broadening and diversifying the economy. I think this continued diversification will be essential to the long-term economic success of our community, and outdoor recreation will play a large role in that continued trend towards diversification.

I view the role of outdoor recreation as both a core part of the economy (through tourism and local outdoor industries) and a quality of life component that supports other industries indirectly by helping to attract and retain workers. Working to protect open space, support for the outdoor rec industry in economic development efforts and keeping quality of life high are important ways to help promote the outdoor recreation industry while on council.

A) I advocated for years that we should the center of design, testing and creation of outdoor products for North America. We missed the boat on the mountain bike wave 30 years ago when we could have been at the forefront of recruiting mountain bike designers and manufacturers to locate here because of our resources and location. Because of poor vision on the part of our local leaders we put all our eggs in the extractive industries and it took 30 years to diversify out of that model. We are now growing a great base of local manufacturers of outdoor equipment on top of a robust tourism following. Outdoor recreation can be the premier driver of our local private sector economic growth for the near future as well as a great recruiting tool for our large non-profit and government sectors.

B) I would be a leader for a vision of how to integrate Outdoor Recreation into our long term plans for our economy. I would love to see investment into a “skunk works” type of innovation center to focus on design of outdoor products and lure exceptional talent from around the world to come here….we could be the Silicon Valley for outdoors products. The outdoors crowd is educated and well-funded – why would they not want to locate a company and bring their ideas to the best base camp in the West?! I believe too that agriculture can grow hand in hand with Outdoor Rec – the wine industry and a growing natural food farming sector can be great compliments along with music and retail opportunities. I believe the sky is the limit to things that we can do here…we just need access to affordable housing, work skills and capital to help it grow.

A community is only as strong as its business community. Outdoor Recreation is a key industry for the Grand Valley along with Clean Tech, Advance Manufacturing and other industry sectors that make up our diverse economy. All industry sectors have similar needs for infrastructure, workforce, etc. and as the only certified economic developer to serve on Council I will strive to provide the foundation on which all job creators can build their businesses and create jobs. A particular area of emphasis and interest for me is to increase commercial air service options which outdoor recreation in particular relies on for access to customers.

The study referenced in this question was compiled, in part, by Dr. Nathan Perry. In February, I met with Dr. Perry to discuss local economics and the nonpartisan approach he takes in his research. His overall approach fits with my vision for the leadership role our City Council should be employing.

This question rightly points out that outdoor recreation provides over 11% of our local jobs, but I think it’s also important to include that the impact of outdoor recreation is “significantly higher than the state average” (4.8% vs 3.1%). This is important because it demonstrates our local need to support this segment of our economy and appreciate the economic diversification it brings to Mesa County.

As a leader seeking to promote outdoor education on behalf of the City of Grand Junction, I will support our Parks and Recreation Department and the great programing they provide to residents. Additionally, with the passage of the Community Rec Center (fingers crossed!) the City of Grand Junction will have an outstanding opportunity to develop Matchett Park. The CRC will only utilize about 10% of the park, which leaves ample opportunity to develop a regional outdoor recreational complex that will not only serve our community, but draw people from around the region, further stimulating our economy.

I would also seek to support local businesses, and attract new ones, that are connected to outdoor recreation. This will build upon our current momentum in this important sector of our economy.

Public lands should be valued as one of our most amazing birth rights we have as citizens. We need to make sure that private property rights cannot make unnecessary limits to accessing public lands but that’s a discussion happening on the national level. Council can push for easements to protect public access. Public lands should be a way to grow healthy sustainable community. I’d like to see canal roads opened up for public access and our urban trails connect to public lands as they are a component of healthy quality of life.

The public lands are vital to the Outdoor Rec Industry as well as to the overall community at large. We need to maintain access and protections for our public lands. The city has been successful in partnering with our various county/federal partners in improving and accessing the river and other trails. These continued cooperative partnerships are vital to the Outdoor Rec Industry as well to the intrinsic value the use of these lands provides to our lives and our lifestyles.

The vastness of our public lands and access to those public lands is a big part of what makes Mesa County so attractive for outdoor recreation. Mountain biking in particular, wouldn’t be what it is without our access to public lands.

Public lands are essential components of life in the West. The mental and physical health impacts of access to public lands are numerous and this source of recreation opportunity is a significant part of the culture of our community. Managing and protecting these lands will be critical to the future attractiveness of our community to business and other interests.

We live here because we love the outdoors – i.e. public lands. We have to treat our public lands well as overuse is a great concern – smart management and public education are very important. I’ve always been concerned about our drought and rising heat here for the future of our public lands – compaction and drying soils create their own climates and may be a big challenge in the future. I feel that the Outdoor Recreation community are great partners with our public lands to encourage conservation and careful use of our resources. We have a large aging population too and many of them love our public lands – equitable access to our lands by that demographic is needed. We also have a growing community of color – many of whom are not familiar with the opportunities our public lands officer. This is a great opportunity to educate a whole new group of people as to the magic that is available to them here.

The importance of public lands cannot be overstated in terms of impact on our economy. The multiuse nature of our public lands supports legacy industries such as agriculture and energy and is vital to growing industry sectors such as outdoor recreation. In the future I expect the role of public lands to grow in importance which means we must be engaged at the federal level in ensuring access and utilization of this valuable resource that is literally in our backyard.

The three most important things we need right now to make Grand Junction and the Grand Valley a vibrant and healthy place for young families and growing businesses are:

1. Affordable, attainable, workforce housing. To attract and retain young families in the Grand Valley we must move the needle when it comes to housing. I have several ideas on this topic, but I won’t expand on them here as that would be outside of the scope of this questionnaire. I will add that free and low-cost recreation activities are one way to help those struggling with housing affordability to enjoy life a bit more. It doesn’t solve the issue, but I am committed to keeping these amazing opportunities available and affordable to all members of our community.

2. Investment in our city’s recreational infrastructure. It has been 25 years since Grand Junction made a substantial investment in growing its recreational infrastructure, and that was when Canyon View Park was developed. It’s time to build a Community Rec Center. We also need to maintain existing infrastructure like the Orchard Mesa Pool, and to diversify our recreational infrastructure. This might be done with a project like the Field House being discussed for development in the Orchard Mesa area.

3. Economic diversity. The city has done a good job in recent years in recruiting businesses, and encouraging new businesses, that add to the economic diversity of our area. As we face economic headwinds with a slowing economy and higher interest rates, this will become even more important.

Jobs that pay a livable wage. Urban trails that provide connections to all major amenities. Not to have people in leadership positions that want to undermine, defund and privatize our public institutions.

1st – I believe the most important thing the grand valley needs is a quality educational system. The deficiencies in our educational systems are evident to any employer in the grand valley. We have to develop a more educated community and raise, not lower, standards and help students meet higher standards.

2nd – We must address our homeless population NOW before it grows into looking like a major city’s crisis. We have to address addiction and mental health and provide services to those who need them, particularly for the homeless residents.

3rd – More housing options for all types of buyers. The city has focused primarily on high-density, multi-family product the past 2 years. We were under-supplied in that product type, but I would argue we will be caught up in that type of product very soon based on what is under construction or has been approved. We need to focus on housing for young families and all types of working families. We need city councilors who understand the many product types, how they can be approved, designed and built to work toward housing solutions for all of our community. We are moving very quickly to a missing entry level/middle type of housing.

We need to continue to fill out our positions on GJPD so that we have the capacity to properly patrol the city and keep our street safe. We also need to make sure that the city is doing all the basic things really well, such as public safety, Maintaining roads and bridges and infrastructure, and maintaining its assets.

Affordability, small business support and a strong education system. Rising unaffordability, particularly around housing, is a problem threatening our entire community and cuts across industries. When young families cannot afford to live here and growing businesses can’t attract talent or decide not to relocate here, the entire community suffers. Small businesses are the engines of a local economy and we could be doing more to lower the barriers to entry and create an ecosystem where small businesses can thrive. Education is the long game for how we ensure we have the talent and skills locally to meet the needs of the modern economy, and how we attract good paying jobs/employers that many communities desire.

A) Lack of affordable housing is an anchor on keeping young families here – the cost of rent, homes and everyday living here has risen and doesn’t keep up with earnings. Companies looking at moving here are also concerned about their employees being able to find housing. The city is being proactive about this issue – but we need a real Manhattan project to get a grip on this that brings everyone to the table for solutions.

B) A strong public education system is absolutely at the top of most young families and businesses’ needs list. We need to put down our partisanship and work for the common good to create the best public school system we can afford. An inclusive, diverse, and equitable school system brings in great teachers and helps develop great graduates.

C) A sustainable future requires leaders that recognize our climate and growth challenges and are forward looking to insure we have a great place to live. Smart growth that balances the needs of business, social needs, environmental demands and changing demographics requires planning and foresight. Our world is changing quickly and being driven by a sustainability focus ensures that we meet the needs of all our citizens and become more livable for future generations. We know young people and companies embrace communities that share their values – we need to lead in this area.

We must address housing and specifically workforce housing. My particular focus would be on working with the private sector to provide more starter homes for young families. Apartments are fine but they don’t allow young families to build the equity and wealth gained by home ownership. In visiting with the leadership of GJEP it is clear that the city needs to budget more incentive dollars to match state and federal programs aimed at assisting existing business expand and new primary employers to locate in Mesa County. Current funding has already been exhausted. The city needs to invest in infrastructure, specifically streets and broadband. These were identified as the highest priorities in a recent community satisfaction survey and are also critical to businesses locating here, expanding here and starting here.

I see opportunities in partnering with the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office (OREC) by encouraging city staff to continue to support grant initiatives, which might require the city to leverage tax dollars, for the good of Grand Junction’s outdoor way of life. Last year, the OREC Colorado State Outdoor Recreation Grant provided about $4 million in funding for projects related to economic development in the outdoor recreation sector. While it is uncertain what grant funding may be available in the future, I would push city staff to apply for applicable grants of this type to continue to build out our outdoor recreational infrastructure.

For instance, we have 26 contiguous miles of trails between Palisade and Fruita, with ongoing work being done to plug any holes in the system. The city is working towards making this trail system more accessible, and grant funding might assist with accomplishing this task.

I will look for opportunities to encourage the collaboration between GJEP and OREC to encourage outdoor recreation businesses to come to Grand Junction. I also see them as a partner in solving outdoor recreation challenges. Right now, we have lots of wide open spaces and plenty of room for citizens and visitors to bike, hike, camp, horseback ride, tube, paddleboard, kayak, and many other amazing activities. But many areas of Colorado are seeing dramatic increases in usage, which is causing issues for both users and the environment they use. If usage grows to the point of negative consequence, OREC will be an excellent resource for plans that have worked and not worked in other areas. I hope we never get there, but as Grand Junction becomes more well-known as a recreation destination (which is very good for the economy), I also want to protect the lands and resources that draw in visitors and keep the experience positive for everyone who visits Grand Junction.

Collaborating with the people already involved locally with outdoor rec and see what they need. I’m against reinventing the wheel. This is not my area of expertise and I would search out knowledgeable, trusted people when needed. This is an area I would like to see grow responsibly. Outdoor rec, when done right, should emphasize sustainability, healthy communities and access to all people.

So many of our service industry businesses and jobs directly benefit from our Outdoor Recreation Industry. I collaborate with various organizations in relation to the Restaurant and Golf Industry. I am on several national Golf Course organizations and follow the trends nationally and bring back information to our state. I will support our city in the fight for grants, grant opportunities and other funding needed to keep our public lands maintained and to provide improvements to Las Colinas, trails and other amenities. I will continue our city’s support of Visit GJ in working with our state partners like OREC.

I would need to do a little bit more research into this. I am not aware if City Council currently has a relationship with the state office or if it’s something we would need to explore.

I would make sure we aren’t leaving money on the table. Our unique suite of outdoor recreation opportunities should make us a very competitive candidate for grants from the State Outdoor Recreation Office, and I would encourage the city to pursue these opportunities to the fullest extent. This could involve city resources and/or collaboration with local partners to make sure we’re identifying strong projects for grant funding and submitting competitive applications.

Colorado has been a world leader in Outdoor Recreation for some time and the state has been proactive to this part of the economy for many years. I believe we were the first state to create a cabinet level position for Outdoor Recreation and fully funded that department. Obviously taking action to take advantage of all tax credits, grant opportunities and helping local companies grow through those opportunities is very important through a close relationship with the CORI office. I would advocate for our economic development efforts to always include collaboration with the Outdoor Recreation Office. I know and have worked with Governor Polis, Secretary of State Jena Griswold, Attorney General Phil Weiser, State Treasurer Dave Young and Senators Hickenlooper and Bennet which is helpful in building high level relationships to bring more Outdoor Recreation economic opportunities to Grand Junction. I’m not a rookie at building important relationships at the state level and can help bring in new and bigger opportunities here.

I know that the City’s Visit Grand Junction department already collaborates with the State’s Outdoor Industry Office. That collaboration should be expanded and enhanced. As tourism drives much of the Outdoor Recreation Industry and the City of Grand Junction has a department with the major responsibility for tourism marketing that relationship is crucial to growing the recreation industry locally.