CMU presents revised Lincoln Park stadium concept; city staff told to keep negotiating

President Marshall of Colorado Mesa University presented a revised concept for a football facility at Lincoln Park that keeps the barn’s exterior while adding new square footage to wrap the track and expand the stadium footprint. City Manager Mike introduced the presentation and said the concept is the result of continued staff‑to‑staff work between CMU and city staff.

Marshall said the updated design tries to honor what community partners value while allowing CMU to invest in capital improvements, and acknowledged the plan “is going to be more expensive” than earlier iterations. He said architects produced drawings that preserve the barn and its character while adding new usable space around the track to elevate the college‑football experience.

Council members focused on how the barn would be used under the concept. President Marshall and staff said CMU expects to lease the barn and hold exclusive interior control as part of a larger ground lease for new facilities, while the city’s community‑use programming now in the barn would largely move to the new community recreation center. “In order to make this whole thing work, we’re going to need to lease the barn and control [it] because we would need to occupy the inside of it,” Marshall said during the presentation.

Council members pressed for clarity on public access and costs. Some members said preserving the exterior structure is important but worried that ‘‘the personality and the use of the barn was inside the barn’’ and that exclusive university control could limit community rental opportunities. Staff said the concept would protect the shell of the historic building but the interior uses currently provided by Parks & Rec were proposed to transfer to the community rec center; CMU’s contribution would support field and facility capital and operating costs.

On financing, staff recounted past arrangements: the city has borne most operating costs, partners share some expenses, and CMU has previously paid an annual contribution (staff referenced past bond repayment contributions of roughly $200,000 per year). City staff said the proposed arrangement would include CMU paying value for the barn lease and making capital investments in the stadium at CMU’s cost, but any final terms would return to council for authorization.

Council did not vote on a lease or contract. Instead, members signaled general consensus to have city and university staff continue negotiations on the concept, with the understanding any formal lease or long‑term commitment would come back to council for review and approval. City staff will prepare term options and financial breakdowns for future consideration.