The Town of Palisade

January 30, 2025

The Town of Palisade

Small Town, Big Ambitions

 

A thriving town guided by a Community-Driven path to prosperity

Palisade, Colorado is a small town with big ambitions. Although the broader Mesa County region has a population of 150,000, Palisade itself is home to just 2,500 residents. The town is thriving through innovative infrastructure upgrades. Guided by visionary leadership, Palisade is building a future that balances development with preservation of its unique agricultural character.

A historic town established in 1904; Palisade has been working on upgrading its aged infrastructure into the 21st century. With a modest tax base and budget, it is difficult to make expensive infrastructure improvements. For the last 6 years the town has successfully completed multiple multi-year, multi-million-dollar projects.

Palisade has utilized $5 million to leverage over $38 million in capital improvement projects to support residents, small business growth and expansion in agritourism. Big ambitions for a Town with a small yearly budget. The capital improvements represent a lifeline for the town to navigate the complexities of modern economic landscapes while preserving the heart of the rural agriculture town.

Progress Through Partnerships

It takes great partnerships to garner $38 million dollars in quality infrastructure projects. Palisade’s commitment to community improvement is exemplified by its major infrastructure projects, funded largely through strategic grant acquisition and symbiotic partnerships. One standout achievement is the transformation of the site where the town’s old high school once stood. The old high school had been condemned. Progress through partnership, after extensive asbestos removal and demolition of the building, a new health clinic has been built, in the old high school’s place.

Pro- Tempore Mayor Somerville highlights the importance of partnerships in making this project a reality. “Through a partnership with Community Hospital, we were able to tackle a major issue with that old high school… now on this site, the town has a clinic in a brand-new state of the art building,” he states.

These accomplishments are a testament to the town’s leadership. With a very small capital budget, not enough money for all the needed improvements, hard decisions need to be made. “Securing grants and maximizing revenue is an important component of completing these multi-million-dollar projects,” stated Town Manager Janet Hawkinson.

“Staff have been the leaders in finding grants that leverage and maximize our revenue, lots more than what we’re getting through tax dollars,” Somerville notes. “Our recent accomplishments seemed unimaginable because of the price tag, and not only did we get them done cheaper than expected, but we were also able to find money through grants because of Town Management making it happen,” he adds.

Mayor Mikolai also praises the collaborative efforts of the leadership team, adding, “I think we just have great people working for us. When you look at the hard work that they do and how they accomplish things with sometimes little or no resources, they still manage to get things done, and I really appreciate all their work. It’s fantastic to see what we can accomplish through teamwork.”

Mayor Mikolai further emphasized their management approach: “our philosophy as a Board is that we recognize we’re here for policy and we’re here to set budget priorities. Then as a Board, we get out of the way allowing town staff to manage the day-to-day operations and ensuring continued success.”

By building partnerships and proactive governance, Palisade has achieved infrastructure upgrades that were once deemed financially impossible. The town is setting a strong foundation for future projects and continued growth. In the last 6 years the town has achieved:

  • Optimized highway 6 design and safety features;
  • Demolition of old high school;
  • New state of the art health clinic;
  • Preservation of historic gymnasium;
  • Installation of fiber throughout town;
  • Consolidation of wastewater plant, closing down sewer lagoons;
  • Construction of multi-modal paths throughout town;
  • Upgrading government IT capabilities during COVID pandemic;

 

The Roots of Palisade’s Economy:  Peaches –  Wine – Desert Recreation

Palisade is nestled along the Colorado River surrounded by agriculture and palisade rock formations.  It is one of the most gorgeous desert towns in the US. The famous Palisade Peach was planted in town over 100 years ago by settlers who discovered the advantageous growing conditions.  The Palisade Peach is sold all over the US.  The history of the Palisade Peach includes immigrants from Europe, WWII army personnel & prisoners of war, migrant workers, midwestern farmers, the many who came to Palisade and set up home.

The wine industry has been in the valley as long as the peaches.  Prohibition in the 1930’s caused farmers to move to other crops.  Today, Palisade is surrounded by over 30 wineries and hosts some of the finest wines in the world.  The small community of Palisade stands out for being a prime fruit, wine, and festival destination.  It has built itself a reputation as one of the nation’s ‘coolest’ desert towns.

Desert recreation enhances the lifestyle that is mixed in with the peach and wine industry.  Nestled on the western slope, residents and visitors enjoy a host of outdoor recreation.  River floats, road biking, hiking, mountain biking, skiing, hunting, wine tasting, fruit canning, and sports shooting at Cameo. Its charming lavender fields, peach orchards, vineyards, wineries, downtown area, and farm markets are best admired and accessed via the world-famous Fruit and Wine Byway, whose three routes cater to vehicles and bicycles.  Fancy a sunset or early morning Colorado hike with stunning views? Palisade has four main scenic trails to walk off all those scrumptious peaches and glasses of wine.

The abundant agricultural treasures make it worth visiting.  Neighboring Palisade is Powderhorn Ski Area.  In the winter a short drive brings a winter adventure completed with great food, wine and lodging. The 33-mile Palisade Plunge Trail offers extreme adventure for mountain bikers and hikers. This trail descends from the top of the world’s largest mesa, through forests, cliffs and desert, ending in the small agricultural town of Palisade

 

Balancing Progress and Preservation

“Putting residents first with a commitment to infrastructure upgrades is the work we are doing,” Mayor Mikolai states.  Palisade’s approach to growth is rooted in careful planning and a commitment to preserving its unique identity. The town recently completed an update to its comprehensive plan, the first revision since 2007. This plan serves as a roadmap for responsible development, aligning with the town’s agritourism priorities while addressing the evolving needs of residents.

“There is a particular soul of Palisade that we’re trying to protect,” says Pro Tempore Somerville, highlighting the importance of ensuring that future growth respects the town’s character. The next step in this process is updating the land use code to align with the comprehensive plan. This effort focuses on creating policies that enable thoughtful development without compromising the town’s agricultural roots.

Proactive planning and community wellness is evident in Palisade.  Development is focused on vacant lots to preserve orchards and vineyards.  This careful delineation ensures that while development proceeds, it does so in designated areas to safeguard the rural character, agriculture fields and natural landscapes.  “It is planning for ‘Quality of Place,” says Manager Hawkinson.

An exemplifying approach to rural preservation is the implementation of the “agricultural buffer zone.”  A partnership with Mesa County, neighboring cities of Grand Junction and Fruita, and the Land Trust,  zoning codes have been created to keep land between the 3 cities borders from being developed into large subdivisions.  “The goal is to preserve the agriculture and rural area that makes this desert valley so unique,” says Manager Hawkinson.  An Intergovernmental Agreement exists between the 4 governments to keep the zoning rural.  The areas are limited to subdivisions being no less than 5 acre parcels.  Many parcels have been placed in a Land Trust.  This is sustainable living and rural preservation.  There are many examples across the US where small towns have merged with large cities, becoming one large development. Open spaces have been removed.  A sense of place has been lost due to unchecked suburban sprawl.

Mayor Mikolai explains, “We’re reviewing our land use code to determine best approaches to development standards that support our agritourism economy and keeping the town of Palisade a place that people still want to live and visit.”

Despite its small footprint, Palisade has identified opportunities for new development. Strategic areas near the interstate offer potential for boutique hotels, providing much-needed accommodations for tourists without encroaching on orchards and vineyards.  “As we go forward with development, at times it seems like we can do more harm than good. Sometimes our job is to be reflective of what the town wants and needs, and to be very protective about the few possibilities that are left to make sure that when something permanent does come along, we’re being as responsible as we can,” reflects Pro-Tempore Somerville.

With a focus on collaboration, innovation, and heritage, the town is proving that economic growth and community values can thrive together. Ultimately, Palisade’s leadership exemplifies how small towns can balance progress and preservation.

AT A GLANCE

The Town of Palisade

What: A small town leveraging agritourism, infrastructure investment, and sustainable development to drive growth

Where: Palisade, Colorado

Website: www.townofpalisade.org & www.visitpalisade.com

PREFERRED VENDORS

Palisade, CO – www.visitpalisade.com

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January 2025

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