Colorado Mesa University President Marshall presented a plan on Sept. 15 asking the City of Grand Junction to partner on a college-funded football facility at Lincoln Park and for council to authorize staff to negotiate an agreement. Marshall said CMU would fund most construction through fundraising and university set-asides, using a long-term lease model similar to an earlier tennis/golf arrangement.

The university framed the project as a way to modernize the stadium entry and create a permanent home for the Mavericks football program, while preserving access for high school and other community users. Marshall told council the intent is not to pursue a Division I model but "a much more community oriented Division 2 approach," and to ensure the project supports student athletes and community use.

Why it matters: council members and CMU leaders said the facility could improve year-round use of a currently under‑utilized site, increase community activation and make Lincoln Park a stronger economic and civic asset. Council discussion focused on user access, parking and scoreboard placement, impacts to high‑school teams that now use the site, and legal/charter constraints for any long-term property changes.

Key details: CMU’s concept includes a two‑story structure with locker rooms, athletic training spaces, coaches’ offices and meeting rooms; additional donor- or booster-funded viewing decks were discussed as a possible fundraising element. CMU described the planned approach as modeled on the university’s driving range project, which CMU built with a long-term lease from the city. The university said much of the current scheduling and programming would remain unchanged and that the high‑school district would retain existing locker access; CMU said its home team currently uses the barn and visiting teams use the district locker rooms.

Council concerns and next steps: Council members pressed CMU and city staff on access for high school users, scoreboard location, turf and multi‑use strategies to increase year‑round activation, and whether the city should sell the land rather than enter a lease. City staff and the city attorney explained the municipal charter limits for park disposition (a 25‑year lease limit is embedded in charter language) and advised that a land sale or an exchange would require a more detailed legal analysis and could trigger voter requirements. The city attorney said an exchange could face scrutiny under case law (referenced in the meeting as the Colonial Springs precedent) and noted charter and state requirements for disposition of parkland.

Council direction: Mayor and members expressed support for continuing negotiations. The council asked staff to work with CMU to draft a memorandum of understanding and explore a long‑term lease approach consistent with the charter’s 25‑year framework and related legal limits. Council asked staff to return with design, timeline and fiscal details that would protect other users and minimize taxpayer costs. CMU asked to move quickly to support a fundraising timeline that includes the university’s centennial events this fall.

What to watch: staff negotiations on lease terms (including access rights for high schools and city meeting space), the city attorney’s legal review of a long‑term lease vs. sale or exchange, and any formal MOU or lease the council would be asked to approve.

Ending: CMU representatives said they hoped to return to council within weeks with a tighter proposal and that timing is important to fit design, fundraising and a potential 2027 schedule for completion. Council members repeatedly emphasized preserving Lincoln Park for community use and asked staff to coordinate designs so stadium upgrades and the adjacent community recreation center work together.