You may have noticed that we did not send out a publication last Friday. I apologize for that. My family was very blessed to have a baby boy join us early last week. This is my first child and I wanted to savor every moment those first few days. My year has been off to a great start. I hope each of you are doing equally as well!

This week will be a bit short on content as I am catching up on life and admiring my little one, but next week and all future editions will be as full as usual. As always, please submit news, events, and reach out if you want to advertise!

In this edition:

• Warmer Weather Rolling In

• Amazon Creates 75 New Jobs in GJ

• Montrose Receives a Grant

• Clifton Car Wash Revamped

Housing

Market Stats:

Average Sales Price: $470,049 (+$14k from last week)

Median Sales Price: $401,000 (+ $1k change from last week)

Inventory Levels:

Number of New Listings: 78 (+17 from last week) 

Average Days on Market: 94 (+14 from last week)

Total Number of Active Listings: 562 (+15 from last week)

_{Source: Skyler Kraai with Coldwell Banker Distinctive Properties}

News

Warmer Weather Upon Us

Weather updates are pretty boring but when we deal with weather as cold as it has been recently, we are looking forward to sharing the good news that this week will have highs in the mid 40’s. This weekend we have partly cloudy skies but then it’s sunshine and warm air throughout the entire week.

New Amazon Delivery Station opens in Grand Junction

Amazon’s first delivery station on the Western Slope held its grand opening on January 22.

“We really saw a need to best serve our customers and that included making a significant investment in this last mile delivery station to get our their customer orders them even faster,” said Sam Bailey, Senior Manager for Economic Development Policy for Amazon.

The facility silently launched in October to coincide with the holidays. However, the grand opening was a chance for community members and officials to take a look behind the scenes.

According to Bailey, thousands of packages have been delivered through the new center so far.

Not only has package delivery been impacted, but the job market as well. Over 75 new jobs were created with the new facility and Bailey says this could also grow.

“Offering opportunities whether you were looking for a full-time job, part-time job or you’re a student at Colorado Mesa University looking to earn some income as well,” said Bailey.

Mike Olish, Grand Valley resident and site lead has lived on the Western Slope since 2019, and to be recruited by Amazon fueled his passion to impact the community.

“Amazon, as a company, moving to the western Slope was a signifier to me of the great economic changes that we’re seeing,” said Olish. “That sort of opportunity was something that I was looking for. How can I make a bigger impact in my community?”

Business Highlight

Stop Wash Go Gets a BIG Upgrade

A once-neglected property has undergone four months of renovations, now making its debut as a new community car wash.

The new car wash located at 3240 F Road offers self-serve washing bays, with plans to introduce a drive-through automatic wash later this year.

“We saw the potential in this property, not just as a business opportunity, but as a way to give back to Clifton,” said Kriss Bergethon and Alex Moore, owners of the car wash. “Our goal was to not only create a clean, reliable place for people to wash their vehicles but also to beautify our community and show what’s possible with a little vision and effort.”

“Our commitment goes beyond washing cars. We’re dedicated to reinvesting in Clifton and being part of the effort to make this community shine,” Kriss Bergethon added.

Residents are encouraged to stop by and experience the revamped facilities.

Local Community

City Awarded Grant To Pursue National Designation Of Historic Montrose Neighborhood

Montrose, CO — The City of Montrose has been awarded a grant from the History Colorado State Historical Fund to support its efforts to nominate the community's Tortilla Flats neighborhood to the National Register of Historic Places. 

The city will use the grant, totaling $49,800, to create a nomination package explaining why the area should receive a historic designation by thoroughly examining the neighborhood, its history, and its significant cultural influence on the Montrose community.

Earlier this fall the City Council gave approval for staff to pursue the grant following years of work by city staff and residents of the Tortilla Flats neighborhood. 

The Tortilla Flats neighborhood, also known as the La Raza Park neighborhood, is located between the Uncompahgre River on the west, Townsend Avenue and the railroad tracks to the east, West Main Street to the south, and generally N 9th St to the north. It has been a majority Hispanic neighborhood since the early twentieth century and is an important piece of Montrose for the contributions of its current and former residents to the economic and cultural development of Montrose.

Western Slope Sports!

Palisade outlasts Grand Junction in overtime

Palisade and Grand Junction had a barn burner where Palisade prevailed.

Palisade girls also beat Grand Junction while Fruita swept Central.

On Feb. 8 and 9 (Super Bowl Sunday), River City Sportplex is hosting the Idaho Spud Kings and Rock Springs Grizzlies of the USPHL junior hockey league NCDC.

Exciting Events: January

This section only includes local upcoming events. Feel free to submit yours!

Sports

• Western Region Basketball Tournament

  • Saturday, February 15
    8:30 am – 6:00 pm

  • Location: Colorado Mesa University
    1100 North Avenue
    Grand Junction, CO 81501

  • Special Olympics Colorado is hosting the Western Region Basketball Tournament at Colorado Mesa University! Traditional Play, Unified Play and All Star Skills Challenge will be played.

Family Fun

• Events at Endless Pastabilities

  1544 Oxbow Dr. #198

  Montrose, CO 81401

  • Friday 1/24 Alan Ray Live 7pm

  • Saturday 1/25 Karaoke 7:30-Midnight

  • Sunday 1/26  Sunday Keys with Lane Anderson 4pm

  • Friday 1/31 Open Mic Night! 7pm

• Line Dancing

  • 664 North Ave, 2310 West Ridges Blvd Grand Junction, CO 81501

  • Price: FREE

  • Time: 8:00 PM to 2:00 AM

  Recurrence:

  Recurring weekly on Saturday

Date Night 🎆

• Montrose Farmers' Market - Winter Market

  • 99 S Uncompahgre Ave, Montrose, CO 81401

  • Dates: 2/1/2025, 2/15/2025, 3/1/2025, 3/15/2025, 3/29/2025, 4/12/2025, 4/26/2025

  • Location: Centennial Plaza

  • Time: 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM

  • Price: Free

• Open Mic Night

  • 846 E. Main St, Montrose, CO 81401

  • Recurrence: Recurring weekly on Wednesday

  • Location: Horsefly Brewing Company

  • Time: 6:30 PM

  • Price: Free

Thank you so much for your support!

• Please send in news tips

• New business openings

• Events

• Anything else you want the Western Slope to see.

I will include as many relevant submissions as I can FOR FREE!

Spread the word! Share this newsletter with friends and family. Please post it on social media. If people are finding it, I can spend my time and energy on making it worth reading rather than promoting it.

If you enjoyed this edition, share this link with others!

P.S. If you want to get your business in front of thousands of local folks, reply to this email and we can talk about our advertising options.

See you next week!