An effort is continuing in southwestern Colorado to build a grocery store in a town where none currently exists.
According to plans, officials with the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe want to build the store in Towaoc, a town of around 1,100 people. The store would go up on vacant land just to the north of the Ute Mountain Casino, which is located at 3 Weeminuche Drive, just off U.S. Route 491.
It is thought that it will cost at least $12 million to build the store, with a first step taken with the awarding of a $30,000 grant from the Rocky Mountain Health Foundation. Tribe leaders have said they intend to soon launch a capital campaign for the project.
That capital campaign is expected to be completed by 2024.
Because of its lack of a grocery store, with the nearest available market located in the town of Cortex, roughly 15 miles to the northeast, Towaoc is characterized as a food desert.
As described by the federal Department of Agriculture, food deserts are locations, often in lower-income communities, where there are either no stores, or convenience stores lacking in fresh fruits and vegetables.
By Garry Boulard
