Where does a Grand Junction lap swimmer go at 6:30 on a Tuesday evening once the Orchard Mesa Pool closes? On the city's own schedule, the answer is the lap pool at the Community Recreation Center, where one to three lanes are set aside for laps at that hour. On a Sunday the CRC has no lap swim at all.
That's the practical change behind last week's vote. Once Orchard Mesa closes, Grand Junction will have one public indoor swimming building, and that building gives a lot of space to slides, a lazy river and a warm-water pool. Laps share a single pool with open swim, and the lane count goes up and down through the day.
What the vote settled, and what it left open
The City of Grand Junction posted unofficial results on November 4, 2026. They showed that voters rejected Issue 2B. The measure would have raised the City's sales and use tax by 0.07%, from 3.39% to 3.46%, to pay for up to $12 million in repairs and renovations at the Orchard Mesa Pool. In its pre-election coverage, Colorado Public Radio reported that the total cost would have been $19 million with interest, and that the rate would have dropped to 0.03% after the debt was paid off.
The pool opened in 1983, and according to CPR it was Grand Junction's only public indoor pool for generations. School District 51 owns the building. The City and District 51 have run it together since Mesa County left the partnership in 2024, and their agreement expires at the end of December 2026. The City says the pool "will move towards closure." It will share the specific details, including the final day of operation, as they are defined. Updates go on the City's Engage GJ project page. WesternSlopeNow reported the same status the morning after the election.
The Parks and Recreation calendar still shows Grand Junction Rapids Swim Club sessions at the pool, 2736 Unaweep Ave., in a session that runs from November 3 to December 3. Anyone with a December routine at Orchard Mesa should check Engage GJ before counting on it.
Why the City put the question in terms of cost per visit
The figures that shaped this decision were published in February, long before the ballot. At a February 2 City Council workshop, Parks and Recreation Director Ken Sherbenou presented four options. The City could keep the pool open after the CRC opened, close it when the CRC opened, look for a public-private partner, or ask Orchard Mesa voters to form a special district.
Staff put each pool's taxpayer subsidy side by side:
| Facility | Estimated subsidy per visit |
|---|---|
| Orchard Mesa Pool, once the CRC opens | About $30 |
| Lincoln Park Pool | $8.60 |
| Community Recreation Center | About $3.12 |
Keeping Orchard Mesa running was estimated to need about $400,000 a year in subsidy for about 14,400 visits a year. The $12 million repair plan would have replaced the mechanical, HVAC, electrical and filtration systems, refurbished the locker rooms and replaced the hot tub, which doesn't work. It would not have expanded the pool beyond its six lanes in a 25-yard by 25-meter layout.
According to KJCT8's coverage of the City's summer survey, residents were split on taking on tax or debt for the pool but more supportive of putting the question on the ballot. CPR's reporting covered both sides. Supporters cited neighborhood access and said children and seniors could have trouble getting to the CRC. Opponents pointed to the new center as the alternative and objected to raising the tax. Voters made the decision, and the City now plans for one indoor aquatic site.
How lap time works in the CRC's shared lap pool
The CRC is at 2836 Recreation Way. It opened to the public on September 25, 2026, and the Daily Sentinel described a 107,000-square-foot building with five pools, a three-court gym, a climbing wall and an indoor track. One of those five pools is the lap pool, and it also handles open swim.
The City's CRC pool schedule splits lap time into full blocks, with four to six lanes, and "limited" blocks, with one to three:
| Day | Four to six lanes | One to three lanes | Lap pool open swim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 5:30–8:15 a.m.; noon–6:15 p.m. | 8:30–11:45 a.m.; 6:30–8:30 p.m. | None scheduled |
| Tuesday, Thursday | 5:30–11:45 a.m. | Noon–8:30 p.m. | None scheduled |
| Wednesday | 5:30–9:15 a.m.; noon–6:15 p.m. | 9:30–11:45 a.m.; 6:30–8:30 p.m. | None scheduled |
| Friday | 5:30–8:15 a.m. | 8:30 a.m.–1:45 p.m. | 2–7:30 p.m. |
| Saturday | 8–9:45 a.m. | None | 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m. |
| Sunday | None | None | 10 a.m.–3:30 p.m. |
On this schedule, the longest stretch with the most lanes is Tuesday and Thursday morning. From 5:30 to 11:45 a.m. those days, four to six lanes are available. On Monday and Wednesday, the full-lane window runs from noon to 6:15 p.m., which covers lunch and the early evening. If you swim after work on a Tuesday or Thursday, or late in the morning on a Friday, you'll be sharing one to three lanes. On weekends, the only lap block is Saturday from 8 to 9:45 a.m.
Orchard Mesa's repair plan kept the pool at six lanes. The CRC can offer that many lanes during its best blocks, but swimmers have to plan around the clock to get them.
What the other four CRC pools are for
The rest of the building is set up for warm water, play and families. KKCO described the pools as they were being filled this summer:
- Wellness pool: warm water with hydrotherapy jets. The schedule has calm and fitness swim from 5:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and calm swim until 8:30 p.m.
- Leisure pool: a figure-eight lazy river and two vortexes. It's reserved for fitness swim on weekday mornings, without tubes or the wave ball. It closes from noon to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, then opens for open swim.
- Plunge pool and slides: a climbing wall, waterfalls and 1- and 3-meter jump platforms. It opens at 3:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 2 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. on weekends.
- Zero-depth entry pool: built for small children and easier access. Tot time for young children and their parents runs Wednesday from 9 a.m. to noon and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon.
On a weekday morning, the leisure pool's fitness swim and the wellness pool's fitness hours mean there's more water for exercise than the lap lanes alone. Weekday afternoons work the other way. Starting at 3:30 p.m., the building moves toward slides and open swim.
Planning around the CRC's schedule this winter
The schedule has a few dates to plan around, plus the costs:
- Holiday closures: all CRC pools close on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Thanksgiving falls on November 26 this year.
- School days off: the City runs modified pool schedules on listed District 51 no-school dates, so lane times can change during winter break.
- Day passes and punch cards: when memberships went on sale in June, KKCO published two price tiers. Adult day passes were $9 in one and $10 in the other. Youth passes ages 3 to 17 were $6 or $8, and seniors 65 and up were $9 in both. An adult 20-punch pass was $162 or $180, and an adult annual pass was $42 or $57 a month. The CRC front desk can tell you which tier applies to you.
- Orchard Mesa's last day: Engage GJ is where the City says it will post closure details. The operating agreement runs through the end of December.
If an Orchard Mesa swimmer wants the CRC's fullest lap sessions, the fit is Tuesday or Thursday from opening until 11:45 a.m., or Monday or Wednesday from noon to 6:15 p.m.
I keep an eye on changes like this because the places people use every day, like a neighborhood pool, are part of what a move to the Grand Valley actually involves. If you're weighing a move within Grand Junction and want to talk about how parks, pools and daily routines play into it, Laura Black is glad to talk it over with no pressure. Schedule a Consultation when you're ready.
