Cañon City’s decision to abandon a long-planned community pool dominated four consecutive meetings in mid-June 2026, as elected officials scrambled to create a citizen committee, set a ballot deadline, and determine what to do with up to $2 million in sales tax revenue already collected for a project that will never be built.
## Council Votes to Exit Pool Project
At its June 1 regular meeting, the City Council voted to formally notify the Fremont County Recreation District in writing that Cañon City would no longer participate in planning, financing, developing, constructing, operating, or maintaining the proposed recreation district pool. The motion passed unanimously, directing the city administrator and city attorney to facilitate an orderly transition of responsibilities.
The Fremont County Recreation District had itself voted on June 9 not to move forward with the pool, rendering the sales tax revenue — collected at a 0.3% rate and projected to reach $1.5 to $2 million by November — without a designated purpose. Under TABOR, the city must ask voters to redirect those funds or refund them; ballot language must be finalized by August 1 to appear on the November ballot.
## Ballot Study Committee Meets June 16
Mayor Phil Lund created the Citizen Funds Ballot Language Committee at the June 1 meeting, chaired by Council Member Fred Toney and staffed by Finance Director Tammy Nordyke alongside citizen members Robert Stovall, Brendan Pardue, Justin Banks, James Santilli, and one additional community member.
The committee held its first meeting June 16. Mayor Lund opened by asking members to pursue something that serves as a community legacy and avoids divisive conflict. The group brainstormed options including the Clocktower Plaza project, the Western Gateway riverfront park, a Skyline Drive incline trail, a river wading beach, a business aid fund for Main Street, after-school programs, and a partial tax refund.
Finance Director Nordyke advised that any ballot question must direct funds toward a capital project — not operational expenses like the downtown police unit — and should avoid enterprise fund projects such as water or stormwater infrastructure. She also noted that if voters reject the ballot question, the city must refund the collected money.
The committee set follow-up meetings for June 22 and June 26, with a target of delivering options to the City Council by July 7 ahead of the July 20 council meeting.
## Western Gateway Riverfront Plan Unveiled
At a June 17 joint session with the Planning Commission, consultants Christopher Marcinkoski and Nick Jabs of Port, a Philadelphia and Chicago-based landscape architecture firm, presented the completed framework plan for the Cañon City Riverfront Initiative at the former Black Hills Energy site.
The plan envisions a half-mile stretch of riverfront park with five river access points — two for large vehicles — a nature-based playground, a sunken gathering plaza with shade structures, a wading beach at Sand Creek, an accessible crossing to a riparian island, native plant meadows, and conversion of the former Centennial Park maintenance building into a youth-oriented activity hub with climbing features and all-wheel sports elements.
Total estimated project cost runs approximately $19 million, broken into phases. The first two phases — safety improvements to the Oil Creek Ditch diversion and pilot improvements at Centennial Park — total roughly $5 million. Essential river access elements add another $8 million, with $6.4 million in optional amenities beyond that. Consultants put the per-acre cost at approximately $700,000, below national benchmarks.
Both the Planning Commission and City Council members responded positively. Council Member Amy Schmisseur recognized the months of stakeholder engagement. City Administrator Ryan Stevens said the plan would go to the Planning Commission for a formal recommendation in July.
The Ballot Study Committee had already identified Western Gateway as a potential candidate for the redirected pool tax funds.
## Paid Parking Returns
Also at the June 1 meeting, council debated paid parking at city-owned lots. Two motions to table or permanently shelve the discussion both failed on split votes. A third motion by Mayor Pro Tem Schmisseur, directing staff to implement paid parking at city-owned parking lots — excluding Main Street spaces — and return with ordinances, fee schedules, and implementation plans, passed on a split vote.
## Other Council Actions
At the June 15 meeting, council recognized outgoing Cañon City Area Fire Protection District Chief David DelVecchio, who served as fire executive officer from January 2011 through June 2026. Mayor Lund proclaimed June 30, 2026 as David DelVecchio Day. Fire District Board Chair Tim Payne spoke at the ceremony, noting the district passed two mill levy increases under DelVecchio’s leadership and completed Station 3. Payne said incoming Chief Roberts would continue the positive culture DelVecchio established.
The June 15 consent agenda — passed unanimously — included software renewals totaling more than $196,000 across co-response, policy, financial management, court management, and Axon fleet systems, along with approval of K9 vehicle upfitting not to exceed $37,500 and an e-bike purchase not to exceed $22,793.92. Council also accepted Brian LeDoux’s resignation from the Trails Policy Committee and approved the addition of Vicki Meier, Andy Poirot, and Zach McCandless.
Council adopted Resolution 6, Series 2026, approving historic preservation design guidelines for downtown Cañon City from First Street to 14th Street, and gave second reading approval to Ordinance 10, Series 2026, rezoning 1718 Franklin Ave. to R-3 high-density residential.
## Water Committee Hears CDOT Dumping Complaint, Wildfire Plan
At its June 17 meeting, the Water Committee received a presentation from Dave McConnell of the Arkansas Headwaters Collaborative on an 18-month wildfire readiness action plan covering the Arkansas River basin from Grape Creek confluence to the headwaters. McConnell said the collaborative would eventually seek funding contributions from participating entities.
A resident appeared before the committee alleging that a CDOT contractor dumped culvert-cleaning slurry — contaminated road runoff material — onto private property near Highway 50 rather than hauling it to an approved disposal site. The resident said CDOT has been unresponsive and that a legal deadline to file a claim may fall in August or September. Committee members directed staff to report the issue to City Administrator Ryan Stevens and said it may be referred to the Public Works Committee.
Council Member Sarah McCullar appeared before the Water Committee in a private capacity on behalf of the Fruitland Water Company, seeking the committee’s informal support for a Colorado Water Conservation Board grant application to cover and repair a deteriorating concrete-lined ditch. The committee gave a thumbs-up without formal action.
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