Rifle staff and outreach consultants are beginning to create a vision for the recently purchased Rifle Island, a news release states.

“The initial phase of the Rifle Island Project, ‘Island Visioning,’ begins in June,” the release states. “This summer’s focus is on creating a vision for future use based on community input and collaboration.”

In 2021, the city purchased Rifle Island for $400,000 from Paradise Island LLC and Kasia M. Bickel, respectively. Of the purchase, $200,000 came from Colorado’s Conservation Trust Fund.

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The city’s goal is to transform the island, which sits in the middle of the Colorado River near the Rifle rest stop, into a recreation area. 

The city has released an online survey asking the public their thoughts on preferred recreational priorities they’d like to see at the island and more. The survey, available from June 6 through July 6, can be accessed: 

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• (English version) https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevXGOxqVCHBi5owCfDKI9CKueAq0R8KrxnGmkGwE8RGR6vmg/viewform 
• (Spanish version) https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1WpmImCzK71D-25r-7BFgVFp5uka_P57RO1UTBr754vA/viewform?edit_requested=true 

“The project team will talk to the public this summer at various events and with a community survey asking about short-term options,” Rifle City Manager Tommy Klein said in the release. “Presenting the challenges and limitations around island use will be the necessary first step to arriving at the community’s final vision.”

This project began when the Rifle City Council specified the island vision and use as one the board’s top 2022 goals, the release states. Potential funding partners have indicated they would like to see demonstrated public support and participation for the project through diverse and inclusive community outreach.

“A project team will work to identify community preferences for the best path forward as well as opportunities, constraints and preferred uses,” the release states. “An advisory group made of Rifle community members, adjacent landowners, and potential project partners met for the first time in May and plans to meet again later this summer.”

Additional outreach opportunities for the island include communitywide pop-ups from June through July and a City Council presentation in August.