At their August 19, 2026, Grand Junction City Council Meeting, Council unanimously approved placing a ballot measure to benefit to the Orchard Mesa Pool (OM Pool) on the November 2026 ballot. It will allow voters to decide the future of the Orchard Mesa Pool and the potential funding necessary to keep it in operation. The ballot measure is being promoted by a citizen-led group called Save Orchard Mesa Pool, which has been working tirelessly to keep the facility open.
The ballot measure would allow the City to take on $12 million in debt to rebuild and modernize the OM Pool facility at 2736 Unaweep Avenue. With interest included, the debt would total about $19 million over 15 years. The measure would increase the City’s sales tax rate by 0.07%—the equivalent of 7 cents on a $100 purchase—to fund the 15-year modernization bond. The bond tax would sunset after 15 years, dropping the sales tax rate to 0.03% to provide ongoing funding to keep the pool facility operating.
Currently 96% of the City’s parks and recreation amenities are located north of the Colorado River. Only 4% are located on the south side. Entrance fees to the OM Pool are also more affordable than the fees at the new Rec Center. The OM Pool charges $6/day for adults, $5 for seniors and $4.50 for kids ages 3-17. The fees to use the new Rec center are $9 for adults who are residents of the City ($10 for non-residents), $7 for seniors who are City residents ($9 for non-resident seniors) and $6 for kids ($8 for non-resident kids).
The OM Pool was built in 1983. Over the last decade or so, it has started needing more and more mechanical and structural repairs due to its age. According to the City, the facility’s filtration, plumbing, HVAC and electrical systems have all exceeded their operational lifespans. The facility has also struggled with inconsistent hours due to repeated, lengthy waits for repairs to be completed.
City Council has long sought to demolish the OM Pool after the new Community Recreation Center opens on September 25, but destroying this well-loved neighborhood facility and not providing a replacement would leave Orchard Mesa residents with no recreational facility at all, after having access to the OM pool facility for 43 years. Kids on Orchard Mesa would likely be unable to travel across town to the new recreation center, so would be left without a safe place to gather with their friends and learn to swim, lessons that can be life-saving. Without a safe, supervised public pool, Orchard Mesa kids would be tempted to swim and play in the Colorado River and use the area’s irrigation canals to cool off in summer, which could lead to tragic drownings. The OM Pool facility has long provided aquatic fitness and swimming classes, it has a wading area, a 12 foot diving well, an indoor water slide, a hot tub and an outside patio and offers table and chair rentals for parties during non-public hours. It has been a community gathering place for decades.
The aim of the ballot measure is to preserve an existing, well-loved and heavily used community asset and assure its upkeep into the future.