The Montrose Community Recreation Center is a marvel to behold—a glittering gem on the Western Slope and a model for neighboring city officials to consider when building their own municipal hub.

It was a community-wide effort that brought this 82,000-square-foot facility to life, having opened its doors in January 2017. It took time, but Cosme “Coz” Sisneros has seen it through since the beginning. His job as recreation and operations manager for the Montrose Recreation District (MRD) put him at the heart of it all.

“You can see Coz’s fingerprints all over this place,” said Ken Sherbenou, MRD executive director. “During the building, he was right here, alongside me and everyone else.”

Sisneros’ influence is on almost every inch of the state-of-the-art facility. In the 43 years he’s been with the MRD, he’s seen the organization make great strides to better serve the community, expanding and developing programs and enhancing its current facilities to accommodate Montrose’s growing population and interest in recreation.

“All the attention I have received and the honors that have been bestowed upon me means a great deal to me and my family,” Sisneros said humbly. “Seeing my name on the gym floor and having an award presented to me in my honor is truly amazing.”

These stories of transformation and growth are all part of Sisneros’ legacy, which will be remembered even after he retires from the MRD on December 31.

“My dream job”

Sisneros discovered what would become his life’s work still fresh out of college. His first job was in the recreation center of his alma mater, the University of Colorado Boulder, before moving home to Olathe and taking a job with the MRD.

“I was very fortunate to have found my purpose and meaning in life early on in my career,” he said. “It was my dream job and still is after all these years.”

Sisneros said his life’s goal has always been to serve and help people, which he feels he was able to do with the MRD from day one.

The community first met and fell in love with Sisneros when he directed early grassroots programs like the Old Timers Association baseball and Pigtail Softball programs.

“When I first walked through the doors in the summer of 1975 to begin my career with the recreation district, never in my wildest dreams would I have guessed what was in store for parks and recreation in Montrose,” he said.

To this day, Sisneros isn’t sure about which is more amazing—how well the MRD has kept up with the growing recreation needs of Montrose, or the fact that he’s been there every step of the way.

“The years have gone by so quickly,” he said. “When I reflect back on my career with the MRD, I truly have a lot to be grateful for. Looking back, I could not have predicted where or what would become of our small recreation department.”

For him, picking up the 48-page activity guide the MRD publishes three times a year is one of the best ways to see the vastness of what the recreation district has implemented and what it continues to provide the community.

“This was a team effort,” he said. “None of this happens because of one person. The MRD is fortunate to have a very capable and dedicated staff of parks and recreational professionals and equally exceptional leadership to continue to build on the progress we have made.”

Big fish in the community pond

Remarkable as it is, the recreation center isn’t Sisneros’ final claim to fame with the MRD.

Construction is scheduled to start in just a few months to create a new trail along the river, connecting the recreation center to the Mayfly Outdoors headquarters on the north end of town. The project will add 2.25 miles of recreation trail and include underpass crossings of Main Street and Townsend Avenue.

Sisneros is proud to have been part of the team that pulled this effort together. He said a $2 million Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) grant recently awarded to MRD and the City was the caveat in making this project a possibility. Western Colorado Conservation Corps was also a key community partner in bringing the grant to Montrose.

Outdoor recreation is important to Sisneros even though he doesn’t consider himself to be an avid outdoorsman. He is, however, an expert fly fisherman, having fished just about every river and stream in Colorado, sometimes bringing his son Nick along for the experience.

In addition to spending more time with his family—his wife Vivian, son Nick, daughter Jennifer and five grandchildren—Sisneros plans on doing more fishing in retirement. He already has plans to take his new graphite Tom Morgan fly fishing rod, a retirement gift from his family, into Montana’s Blackfoot River.

Not quite goodbye

Sisneros is hesitant to say farewell to his friends and coworkers at the recreation center because it certainly won’t be the last they see of him. He assured them that he will drop in from time to time to see how things are going.

“I plan to still be part of this great community and enjoy the quality of life it has to offer,” he said.

He’s excited to delve deeper into the opportunities he’s worked so hard to create.

“I was extremely blessed to have been given an opportunity to work for and be part of this incredible organization,” he said. “The MRD has always been and will continue to be such an important part of this community and my life.