Rifle Creek Trail at 5^th Street from Park Avenue to Howard Avenue will be closed the month of June due to construction of Centennial Park.  Please cross Rifle Creek at 3^rd Street. 

Please stay out of the park until construction is complete (end of August).

The sundial is currently being formed and will be poured soon.

Electrical test has passed at the pumphouse, so it will be powered u soon.

The hand gate at pioneer ditch is being installed.

Bases for light poles will be installed.

Area around picnic shelters has been poured and next the sidewalks to the shelters will be formed and poured.

Bottom of the amphitheater stage has been poured.

Water play area will start to be formed.

Construction will continue on the Central Plaza including the stage, sundial and water play area.

The East parking lot will be prepped and paved.

Irrigation lines will continue to be installed.

Construction will continue on the Central Plaza including the stage and sundial.

Culvert at the 1955 bridge has been removed. 

Screw piles for the 1905 and 1955 bridge abutments have been installed.

Footers and columns for the bridges will be poured.

Stone on the pumphouse will be placed.

Wayside #2 construction will begin.

The bridge columns and gateways will continue to have masonry installed.

Trail sections will continue to be poured.

The East 5th Parking lot will be worked on.

Construction of the Central Plaza will continue.

Culvert on 5th Street will be removed.

Grading of the Great Bowl area will continue.

The weather has warmed up and the park is moving forward quickly.

Electrical is being installed at the pump house and pioneer ditch.

The trail around the Great Bowl is being graded.

The bridge columns and gateways are having masonry installed.

Irrigation lines are being installed.

The Central Plaza is being prepped.

Final trail sections are being poured starting from the North.

Parking lot subgrades are being installed.

Pond on the north end of the park is full.

Area around the Pioneer Ditch has been cleaned up.

Grading of the "Great Bowl" and berms have started.

Water line to the pump house has been charged.

Interior of the pump house has been painted.

Bridges have been grouted.

Electrical panels in the pump house will be installed.

Stone work on the bridge columns and gateways will begin.

The great bowl will be staked and irrigation sleeves will be run.

Flatwork on the bridges will soon begin.

The ditch coming from the Railroad bridge to the creek has been completed.  The manhole has been installed and ditch has been replaced with pipes.

Rip rap around the Pioneer Dam has been installed.

Pump vault coming off of the Pioneer diversion is installed.

Water line, roofing, interior and exterior at pump house will be installed.

Stairs will be installed at pump house.

Parking lot subgrades will start.

Newly installed bridges will be grouted.

Pioneer Dam has been completed.

Construction of the pump vault coming off of the Pioneer diversion will start soon.

Other miscellaneous work will be done.

Construction has been and will be slow until the weather becomes warmer.  At that point construction will increase dramatically.

Pump house has been framed.

Area for picnic shelters has been excavated.

Manhole for water play has been installed.

Footer for the Randolph stair connection has been installed.

Pioneer Dam will continue to be constructed.

Diversion from the Pioneer Ditch will be installed.

Sheeting of the pump house will start.

Footers for the picnic shelters will be installed.

Deck for the 2005 bridge has been installed.

Time capsule has been moved to its new location.

Pump building vault has been built.

Pioneer dam is being constructed.

The diversion structure for the north pond has been installed.

Stairs for Randolph connection are currently being manufactured.

Arches for gateways are currenlty being manufactured.

Construction of the pump house and Pioneer damn will continue over the next couple of weeks.

The "Over the Rainbow" statue has been set in its new location.

Pump house foundation has been poured.

The time capsule will be moved soon.

The new pond diversion structure by the 2005 bridge will be installed.

Work will continue at the pioneer dam.

Stairs at the Randolph connection are being built and will soon be installed.

Due to frost and snow, there will be limited construction of the park.

Work continues on the pump house.

The 2005 bridge will be set.

The "Over the Rainbow" statue will be set at it's new location.

Work will continue at the pioneer dam.

Bridge decks have been set at school connections, fairgrounds connection and Randolph connection.

Boulders are being placed around the pond.

Concrete forms are being set for the Railroad gateway, the 2005 bridge and the "Over the Rainbow" sculpture wayside.

Work will continue on the 4" waterline from the pioneer ditch to the pumphouse.

Rock work around the pond will continue.

2005 Bridge deck will be set.

Construction of the pumphouse will soon start.

Construction of the pioneer dam will soon start.

Minimal work will be done from now through January 4th.

Replacement of 5th street water line has been completed

Base for the new location of the "Over the Rainbow" sculpture has been poured.

The culvert at the 2005 Bridge has been removed and the bridge abutments have been set.

Bases for the Railroad and 3rd Street Gateway have been set.

Two of the bridge decks will be set in the next couple of weeks.

The irrigation line from the pioneer head gate to the pump house will start to be installed.

With the winter weather coming in, construction will slow down dramatically until the spring.

Construction of the pump house will begin next week.

"Over the Rainbow" sculpture will be removed next week and relocated to it's new location in the next few weeks.

The culvert at the 2005 Bridge (currently existing at the North end of the park, by Railroad Avenue) will be removed in the beginning of December.  This bridge will be closed for the next couple of months.

Construction of the Pioneer Dam will start soon.

Drainage for the Central Plaza at 5th Street will start in the next few weeks.

Almost all of the water, sewer and conduit lines are pulled.

Trail is complete from park to Middle School.

Waterline has been attached under Park Ave and street has been repaired.

The creek will be diverted to start working on the pioneer dam

Construction on the Railroad Gateway will begin

Construction of Wayside #4 will begin

Pond excavation has been completed.

Abutments and piers for three of the bridges have been poured.

Trail to the fairgrounds is complete

Electrical conduit has been pulled throughout the park.

The water line replacement at 5th Street has been started and will continue through the next week.

Trail to the Middle School has been formed and will be poured next week.

They will start working on the West parking lot.

They will also be working working on replacing the damn and headgate at 4th St.

They are currently working on the pond on the north end of the park.

The connection to the fairgrounds is being constructed.

The connection to the Rifle Middle School is being constructed.

Work on the water line and sewer line on 5th street will soon begin.

Construction will begin on Monday August 31st. 

Tamarisk removal and mowing of vegetation will begin next week.

Utilities, bridges and the irrigation pump house will be first to be constructed.

The trail will be closed during certain times, however the 5th Street access will be open before and after school for student access.

Xcel energy will be moving power poles in the next week.

Construction will begin on August 31st!  Details to come on what will be constructed when.

Click here for a color rendering of the park.

Click here to view the overall site plan of the park.

ECI Site Construction Management, Inc. was awarded the contract to construct the park.  ECI has built multiple parks that are very similar to this project.  ECI was also named the 2008 American Society of Landscape Architects Contractor of the year.

There were a few people that were upset that the bid was not awarded to a local firm.  The City's Municipal Code states that with bonded competitive bids, no local preference is given and the lowest bid must be awarded.  The $500,000 grant from the Department of Local Affairs also stipulates that the lowest bid must be awarded.  If the City didn't award it to the lowest bidder, the City would have lost the grant.  However, ECI plans on using local subcontractors and suppliers.  A letter from ECI addressing concerns can be found here.

Construction is estimated to begin in August 2009.
Construction is estimated to be completed in August 2010.

Article from 6/25/09 Citizen Telegram about Centennial Park.

Garfield RE-2 School District for easement on their property for construction of the park.

Great Outdoors Colorado Grant for $750,000

Department of Local Affairs Grant for $500,000.

Garfield County donation for $200,000.

CLEER Grant for solar trail lights for $40,000.

Schmueser Gordon Meyer for 50% off regular engineering fees.

Bookcliff Survey Services for 50% off regular survey fees.

The Rifle Historical Society for help on the historical information.

Design Concepts for design of the park.

Thanks, this park could not be built without your help!

Please contact Aleks at or (970) 625-6262 with any questions or comments.