Grand Junction has decided it is time to build a community recreation center. They’ve already started building it, and they plan on having it open at some point in 2026.
Here in Fruita, we’ve had our rec center since 2011, and it is a very popular and busy place in town. There is an indoor and outdoor pool with a brand-new water slide that goes in and outside of the building. There is a basketball court, where on Sundays they split it up between volleyball and basketball, a gym upstairs with a whole track looped above the court, and they are currently making a pickleball court outside.
The Fruita rec center is loved by many, and people from around town including people from Grand Junction come to the gym and pool here in Fruita. So with the new center being constructed, some people are wondering if it will affect the crowd of people who regularly go to Fruita.
“I live in Grand Junction and it’s kinda annoying having to drive all the way to Fruita just to get a good workout,” says Peyton Ruffle, a student at Fruita Monument High School. She says that she loves the gym at Fruita and works out there as much as she can, but all the driving can be a hassle.
The current price of a day pass at the Fruita Rec is 6 dollars to go in and do whatever you want for the whole day. There hasn’t been any release on how much the new center plans on charging, but if people start going there instead of Fruita, they may have to cut down a dollar to stay cheap.
According to the City of Grand Junction website “The primary difference is the size and extent of each component. For example, both have leisure pools, fitness/weights, and gym space. The larger version would have larger visions of these and additional components. “. So they plan on having most same things as the Fruita rec center maybe just larger and more overall space.
Another thing that may be affected by the new rec center could be child athletics. The Fruita Rec center holds many athletic groups for kids 5-12 such as basketball, volleyball, soccer, and swimming. Would the new rec center be a new opponent for the children’s games? Or would we lose many kids on the teams because they play under the junction center instead?
Construction has already started and they’ve made a decent amount of progress. Not too much information has been released, but you can always check out the City of Grand Junctions website and you can look into it more there. When the center opens we will see what happens to the population at Fruitas gym.