Grand Junction City Council approves 2 contracts for Dos Rios improvements

By SAM KLOMHAUS

Sam.Klomhaus@gjsentinel.com

Grand Junction City Council approved two contracts Wednesday for improvements to Dos Rios Park.

“This is basically the completion of Dos Rios Park,” Grand Junction Parks and Recreation Director Ken Sherbenou said.

Both contracts were unanimously approved.

One contract is a $1,054,895 deal with Brightview Design Group to construct a splash park directly to the west of current Dos Rios Park amenities.

“The splash park is designed to reflect the natural beauty surrounding Dos Rios and represent the nearby confluence of the Gunnison and Colorado Rivers,” Sherbenou wrote in a report to City Council. “This improvement is designed to provide aesthetic as well as play value in a recreational amenity meant to mimic the river.”

The splash park will look “basically like a dry riverbed,” Sherbenou said, and city staff will be able to turn it on and off with a switch, instead of the park being water level- dependent like the River Park at Las Colonias. The park is designed to be “expansive” so people can spread out.

“In a lot of ways it’s filling a gap in our inventory of assets,” Sherbenou said.

The other contract is a $249,995 deal with Grand Junction-based Clarke & Co. Inc. for improvements restoring the riverfront at Dos Rios south of the Riverfront Trail. “The improvements will include public access to the river’s edge, a beach, and soft surface trails. These riverfront improvements were envisioned as part of the larger Dos Rios park that includes the bike park, shelter and restroom, playground, splash park, and open space,” Sherbenou wrote in a report.

The cost of those improvements will be covered by a grant from the Department of Local Affairs.

Construction on both projects is expected to start in the fall, and finish in early 2024, Sherbenou said.

“We’re very excited to add in those amenities to complement that which is already there,” Sherbenou said. “It’ll be pretty cool to see it all come together.”