Input continues to be sought in Grand Junction for the redesign of one of the city’s most famous public spaces: the historic 4.5-acre downtown Whitman Park, at the intersection of 4th Street and Pitkin Avenue.
Finding a new use for the park and creating new spaces and functions within its borders has been a priority for the city since the official adoption of what is called the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Master Plan in 2021.
The City has since engaged the services of the Boulder-based DTJ Design to create at least three park-wide design concepts with appropriate cost estimates.
That firm is now also conducting a series of community meetings, which, according to a city website, are intended to “gain an understanding from the community regarding their vision and preferences for the park.”
One such input meeting is scheduled for April 1, with two more to follow in May.
In advertising for a consulting firm late last year, the City of Grand Junction said it was looking for a company responsible for providing “comprehensive services, including additional utility investigation and survey before the final design, as well as landscape, irrigation, and design plans, specifications, and construction costs estimates.”
The more than century-old park was closed by city officials last fall due to a growing homeless encampment there complete with large numbers of tents and complaints from residents that the area was becoming dangerous.
The park is surrounded on all sides by streets populated with both public and commercial buildings, less than one mile to the south of the Grand Junction City Hall.
By Garry Boulard
