GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) — Fireworks erupted during a contentious city of Grand Junction open house Monday night. Angry neighbors confronted city officials over its proposal to install a new sewage lift station in the midst of a riverfront riparian area located on Lake Road.

City officials had barely started their presentation when upset Lake Road neighbors interrupted demanding answers to questions about a project they say they want no part of and weren’t alerted to from the start.

About 50 community members packed the Redlands Community Center to hear Wastewater Project Manager, Lee Cooper, explain the proposed Lake Road lift station. The presentation was supposed to give community members information about studies done to date, the location of the proposed lift station, new and existing infrastructure, and the lift station’s design.

Discussions turned tense forcing Utilities Director Randi Kim, who was seated alongside community members, to stand and address the room, attempting to calm flaring tempers.

Glenn Stout, the connected lake’s resident who gathered 80 signatures in a petition against the Lake Road lift station, tells WesternSlopeNow.com the city should look at alternatives.

Stout said the man who owns the proposed Lake Road location has been fighting the city’s plan to use his property for years.

As for what’s next, Randi Kim tells WesternSlopeNow.com that the city plans to consider neighborhood alternatives and attempt to finalize designs. For now, the city plans to break ground on a new lift station in the middle of 2024.

WesternSlopeNow.com will continue to follow this story and let you know how the city responds.