MONTE VISTA – City Manager GiGi Dennis recently spoke about the exciting things that are happening in town for 2025, and what people can expect. 

“My goal for the city is to be the best I can be so that our city team is confident in the direction we are going in, providing the best services and amenities the community expects at the best value our tax base can provide,” Dennis said.  

Dennis spoke about new businesses in town and the direction they are heading. 

“We have got some people stating I want to take my own leap of faith and become my own entrepreneur. Right now, we have three new restaurants in progress. We have got some new services that are moving downtown, and people are taking notice. I was able to do some local shopping and help our local merchants. There is a lot of enthusiasm and people are sprucing things up and it looks really good,” she said. 

Dennis added on a side note that the city will also be helping some businesses. The city has a project that will fix the alley between Adams and Jefferson, and Adams and Washington streets. Improvements include fixing potholes and replacing waterpipes, sewer pipes, and storm drains in those areas. 

“Almost all of this will be covered by a grant and will help with deliveries and people parking there. We do have some tenants that live upstairs above those shops, and this will be a big improvement,” Dennis said.  

The local Recreation Economy for Rural Communities action plan encourages economic development for the City of Monte Vista. The purpose of the RERC plan is to create recreational opportunities to draw more people into the city. The idea is to boost the economy by filling local buildings and creating outdoor opportunities, such as the Ray and Colette Skeff Nature Trail for example. 

Dennis also spoke about the RERC grant and how it is helping the town. 

“Monte Vista has really been noticed. One of the first agencies to step up was the National Park Service, with their rivers, trails, and conservation assistant program. We were teamed up with the master’s degree students from Colorado State University. They developed a plan that goes through the city to help people enhance what our vision is as far as more open space and some walking paths, and some general beautification type things. Then somehow the University of Colorado wanted to get in on some of that action, and they found an EPA grant and we applied jointly with them to take the Lariat Ditch that goes through town, it would encase it and pipe it per say, and make a walking path, or biking path on top,” Dennis said. 

Dennis stated that there were almost 2,500 applicants who applied for the grant. She understands that the city is still in the running for the grant that if awarded would be a little over $12 million. 

Dennis said that they are also working on more mural projects for 2025, and a better website to make the town more friendly and to make it easier to find things to look at in town.  

Dennis also spoke about a tree grant that was awarded to the city and how it would benefit the town. 

“This was a $1 million grant that came from the US Forest Service. We have selected a contractor, and they will be conducting a tree inventory, and that will be throughout the city. We will then trim up or cut down the diseased or dead trees that are located on the city right of way, or on city property. We will then be adding 500 new trees. Some will go into our residents’ yards if they would like a tree,” she said. 

Dennis said that the project is about what Monte Vista will look like 20 years from now, as the trees will need time to grow. 

“It should be really beautiful for the future children and grandchildren of our community,” Dennis said.  

Dennis also mentioned how appreciative of everyone who helped make the Faith Hinkley Veterans Memorial Park a memorable place in Monte Vista. 

“It was started back in 2014 by volunteers, and it just kind of fell flat. We decided here in the city we needed to get the park finished to give the proper presence that our Veterans and our families deserved. We sold bricks, that reflect Veterans who have passed away, but it also celebrates veterans who are still with us today,” she said.  

Dennis also spoke about the Destination Blueprint Grant that will help with the city’s tourism. 

“The Colorado Tourism Office offers the city technical assistance toward what we need to work on to enhance the tourism and tourists that visit when they come to Monte Vista. Ultimately, it's about the money that they bring in and they spend and how those visitors support our businesses. At the meeting that we held on this, we were able to talk about how to highlight our assets and market them so that they are appealing to others, so that they would come and want to spend time in our community,” Dennis said. 

Dennis said that the community is currently in construct mode, including some congregational ear mark funding and state and foundation funding that has been received to put a generator at the Ski-Hi Complex that will also have RV spaces and a shower building. 

“Although the amenities may be used throughout the year, the primary reason primary reason for this project is to use it as an emergency shelter so we're excited to get that going,” she said. 

Dennis said they are moving the two baseball fields that are behind Ski Hi to the middle school so that they can have three baseball parks instead of two to create a place to have larger tournaments. 

Dennis said that she is also working with investors to build a hotel, that will help with conferences that can be more than a day or two and help with people staying locally instead of having to drive to other communities to spend the night.