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<br />-Granddunction lies in path of oil' shale b Dom
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<br />lOontiIlu"d lrom pagl." S)
<br />1985 population wlll hit a maximum or 36,000
<br />wilhout oil shale. But OlIe gt'O'\'.1h study based
<br />on oil shall" indicates th{" city's population could
<br />explode 10 SO,OOO by that time.
<br />DEospile the relaxed thinking. ]O(:a1 husinl'ss-
<br />men Ill;(' keeping a close watch on oil shah~.
<br />Some of those are the men who run City Mar-
<br />k e t Inc.. II. t'rmlpany that grew from a
<br />neighborhood grocl'ry store 50 years ago to a
<br />supermarket cham that domlnate:S westt'rn
<br />COlora,lo and southern Wyoming.
<br />Leo T. Prj~ter and his brother J~ aft'
<br />among a handful ot second-generation ?rin-
<br />sIers runnln~ the grocery operation.
<br />The)' gr......' UII \\ilh Grand Junction. During
<br />their ljvt's reports of coming oil shale booms
<br />bobbed periodically on the hori:ron and then
<br />vanished for another decad(".
<br />:..iow thnt the boom seems real, the Prinsters
<br />~ill he watching developments to see- where
<br />their supennarkets tit in. After all, e\'eryone
<br />has 10 ('at.
<br />Bul the' Prinsters know that th(' remaining
<br />scraps of small 1(JI.I."Tl life in Grand Juncti(rl
<br />could bf' gobbled up by oil shale.
<br />"Some of the nk('ness of this art'a will be
<br /><,ompromlsed." i.A'O Prinster concluded during
<br />a brl'ak in his work.
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<br />
<br />Grocus Leo T, PrinSler, lef!. and brolher Joe
<br />s~ of the n;<<Otlfll:l' wilt be lobbied up,
<br />expanded s)"stems will be required 'I'oithin two
<br />)ears ~ again, v.ilhout a shale oil industry,
<br />In addition to water and seWer' s}'5lem
<br />expansion, tho> area will need more scho6Ls,
<br />roads and housing. Exdusiv(' n'lianee on the
<br />automobile, vihich Is already eaus~ pollution
<br />IJroblems, will haVl' 10 end. A public transpor-
<br />talioo syslem will be needed in the city. y,;hich
<br />has no bus service.
<br />
<br />NHIES IlOW~ TO .\IO:'Iit:y
<br />Terminal [adlitics at the city's airport, ai-
<br />read)' under increasing pressure from winter
<br />ski nights, will need to be expanded, There is
<br />mounting pressure to finish lnterslale-70 be-
<br />t.....een Grand Junction and Denver. Comph.tion
<br />of that arter)' will encourage more traffic 10 Ihe
<br />area and, evt'ntually, more growth,
<br />Saddled with the task of trying to plan the
<br />area's rutur~ is city and county pla.tming direc-
<br />
<br />rnRo\XIZ.'TIO~ WORRIE~
<br />Joe, .....ho runs the City Markf.'t warehouse
<br />and hrads the ClJamber of Commf.'rce, sa~'s he
<br />dO('Sn't lhink anything can stop the Influx of
<br />peopl('. Ami althoul':h he'8 as Intf.'rested as Ihe
<br />npxt man in making mane)', he con(eses that
<br />the thn"lIt of rapid urbanization waITles him,
<br />Iff.' points to' thr Front Ra~e as an example
<br />of what growth elln brin~: "Denver used to be
<br />mce ~ ~ )'ellrs agO', But aU the rrom Kanj;;E'
<br />citIes huve grov."O too much, It's jusI no fun
<br />therellnymore_"
<br />Grand .Iunction for )'ears has welcoml"d its
<br />steady gt"OI\1h, II1ld most :residenls aren't afrnid
<br />"f mor",_ F.wn withaut ail shale, the city Is
<br />steadily increasing in SilE' and showing sigtls af
<br />urbanization. Th(' 10-slory VlIllE'y Federal
<br />Pl:lza, thE' closest lhing to' n skysE'raper in west-
<br />ern Colorado, \\ill5(;o)fl apen there. for instance.
<br />Irs the size of Ihe oil-caused growth that has
<br />somepeople"ulITiro.
<br />Community' !t'aders ('xped tht' <,ream O'r thE'
<br />oil ~halt' crop to locate in Grand Junction _ ail
<br />exrculivt's, ('n~in('ers and those who'll run the
<br />SUllport businl'ss"'s. The con.'<truction \\'orkecs,
<br />mlflers and plant personnel prohably willlhe
<br />closer to the I'lants.
<br />That kind o:ot distribution doesn't seem 100
<br />alarming from Grand Junction's vif'\\"J.lOinl, but
<br />th(' E'stimflle or 80,000 population v,'ithin 1.l
<br />)'f.'ars raises eyebrows. And that estimate could
<br />b(o eonsef'\'ati\'e.
<br />The region.s watt'r and spwer fadlitit's,
<br />which could l"asil)' handle graduall':C(Mth \\ith-
<br />out 011 shale, wauld be quickly' averloaded by a
<br />rapid populatIon lx..uldup.
<br />r~or E'Xaml,le, Grand Junction's s{"I.\'agl" fa-
<br />cilities, built for ~6,OOO peoplE', pre><entJ}' are
<br />bein!,:" used b)" 26,000. Cklse-In suburb1> which
<br />hllve been 0'1" WIll be annexed are Iikel)' to' lap
<br />Inrn thf.' s)'stem, brmging it to capacit)' with the
<br />prl"'Sent IJOpulalion - ..litbout ail shale.
<br />Small Se\\age systems thl\;lllbh thl" county
<br />are at or near capacity, Experts uy DeW or
<br />
<br />tor Bob Englke. a young, chain-smoking refu
<br />gt'f' from the- crowdNl Front Range, He'l
<br />worried about money.
<br />,.It appears that the lax base li..nits hay
<br />been hit and the public doesn't (avar additiooa
<br />tax hikes," Englke- says. .'And If you want II
<br />prf"pare for gro....1h. you ha~e 10' make existinl
<br />residents pay fur it,"
<br />Half of !\fesa Oxmty'~ new housing consist
<br />of mobile homes, Th('re is no large-tract home
<br />builder in the area. But oil shale bas led a
<br />least ~ Denver-based builder and one [rorr
<br />aul at state 10 look into Grand J\IlliCtlon's hous
<br />ingmarket_
<br />While some community leaders say plent:
<br />af gavernment.industry cooperation and load!
<br />ot maney will so!l'e an}' future problem, other.
<br />are less optlmi~lk. Among the latter group c
<br />Blake OIambliss, a young, outspoken architecr
<br />heavily involved In community alfairs.
<br />He thinks most of the region's ma\'er;; afII
<br />shakers are grossly underestimating the- 1m
<br />pacts 01 oil shale. Local gavernment. with It!
<br />petty 1n+fighting, remole federal and state gov
<br />emments and secreth'e oil companlf.'s, WOn'!
<br />team up to do the- planning job that's needed
<br />he says.
<br />He foresees the need for a special taxlnl
<br />and gQvemmental unit with powers that don'
<br />end at count)' or cily boundaries.
<br />O1ambllss points 10 the JlC'ach orchards 0
<br />Palisadl.', the only place in the state ....it.en
<br />peaches lhrive, as a s}'Il\bol of the times. Soar-
<br />Ing land prices and increaspd labor costs al-
<br />ready arl' making the fruit busint'Ss unproflt
<br />able. And whffi the shale boom comt'S, Clam
<br />bliss sa)'s, me orchards will be "ut1J.anized ou
<br />of existence."
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<br />:sO',,: Profi1~, rbk",.. Rlld ",ore profit",
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