CMU wants the Lincoln Park Barn for its own exclusive use

Colorado Mesa University (CMU) President John Marshall is seeking to take over the Lincoln Park barn for the exclusive use of CMU’s football team.

CMU has long used the barn as a locker room on football game days, but now it wants more. Last September, Marshall asked the City of Grand Junction about replacing the Lincoln Park Barn with a two-story structure. The project would be funded by CMU, Marshall proposed, and the new facility would have locker rooms, training and meeting spaces, and coaches offices, and would become the “permanent home” of CMU football.  Marshall complained that CMU’s football players are playing at what seems like a high school stadium, and he wants them to feel like they’re in more of a “university environment.” Marshall said CMU would “allow” other uses of the space on occasion, like for meeting space outside of football season, town halls, public meetings and high school booster fundraisers. But the space would still exist solely to serve the needs of CMU instead of the needs and desires of City residents, as has been the case over over 100 years.

In other words, CMU is trying to take over Lincoln Park Barn for its own use.

Marshall first proposed tearing down the barn to build a whole new building, but in recent talks, Marshall altered his proposal to preserve the existing structure instead of demolishing it, but some people still are not happy with the idea of the City giving CMU exclusive use of the Barn.

Lincoln Park Barn is a historical structure in Grand Junction built in 1923 for $9,000, not including the roof. The barn has long been a centrally-located, publicly-owned  venue for concerts, dances, craft shows, candy cane hunts, Arbor Day events, and more, and people seem to like it that way.

An area resident recently wrote  AnneLandmanBlog about CMU taking over the Barn:

“Time is very short for the public to contact City Council Board members.

For generations, the Mesa County/City of Grand Junction taxpayers/families have benefitted greatly from the usability for families of  ‘The Barn at Lincoln Park.” There has been no end to the many public uses this building has afforded all in the area of GJ FOR MANY DECADES. The Barn is centrally located and will continue to be used by local citizens long after the [new Grand Junction Recreation] Center opens.  Lincoln Park does not, AND SHOULD NOT EVER BELONG TO CMU !!!

Therefore it is in the best interest of all taxpaying families in the area to have continuous access to this historic building today, tomorrow and in the years to come for all area families, NOT JUST ONLY FOR CMU USE.

Many of WESTERN COLORADO area taxpaying families we talk to are completely opposed to CMUs plan to take control, restricting use of this building to only CMU’s chosen college activities from now on.

I hope the Grand Junction City Council hears loudly from taxpayers/ city residents the complete opposition to CMU taking over this facility with no future access to Barn for the area’s residents and their activities.

Will G.J. City Council truly stand up, being transparent and representative of the vast majority of area residents (city residents) who are completely opposed to having CMU take control of all future operations inside the Historic Barn at Lincoln Park?

GJ City Council should be continually transparent  in representing the vast majority of locals who are completely opposed to CMU’s takeover of the Barn.

–Bill Fiegel”

If you want to share your opinion with members of the Grand Junction City Council about CMU’s effort to take over exclusive use of the Barn, you can send a group email to the entire City Council at council@gjcity.org, or leave a recorded voicemail message for them on the City Comment Line at 970-244-1504. If you leave a voicemail, please give your identifying information on the recording.