Colorado Mountain College is working to move into the old US Bank location on Grand Avenue with some help from Glenwood Springs.

The vacant space on the northeast corner of Eighth Street and Grand Avenue will soon become the new welcome center for CMC and the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association.

“I think it will do great to liven up that corner and make the tourism center more public facing,” said council member Shelley Kaup.

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The conversion is estimated to cost $1.4 million, and the college is applying to receive $700,000 from the Federal Mineral Lease District grant, which they plan to match.

Mary Boyd, the vice president of fiscal affairs for CMC, presented to Glenwood Springs City Council on Thursday to ask the city and the chamber for a letter of support in the grant application, with council voting unanimously in favor of supporting the letter. 

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“I do think in the material, I will say that we will be working with the city to see what kind of pairing we can do,” Boyd said. “There will be some element of fundraising that we would have to do to make our match, and that will be our conversations with you, but I won’t put in writing that there’s any firm commitment.”

This location move will also add two public bathrooms to central downtown. 

“The number one question when anyone comes into the city,” said council member Tony Hershey, “‘Where is the bathroom?’ This seems like a no-brainer, so I support it.” 

US Bank terminated their lease a few years early in 2020, providing $400,000 in funds for CMC to use to move in. 

“We got that money from that space, and we can reinvest it in that space,” Boyd said. 

With council support, staff expects to include $150,000 to $200,000 in funding between the Downtown Development Authority, Tourism Fund and General Improvement District in the 2023 budget submittal process, according to the agenda presented at council last week.

The project is estimated to be completed by late summer 2023.