GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — St. Joseph Catholic Church, located at Third and White, is in expansion mode once again.

With the purchase of the former U.S. Bank lot at Fourth and Grand last December, the church set its sights on building a complex to hold religious education classrooms, a day chapel, administrative offices, a parish hall, and more

The need for classrooms is high priority, according to St. Joseph finance committee member Blanche Lucero. Youth members of St. Joe's currently have to take religious education and sacrament-preparation classes at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church.

The complex, which is to be built in stages, has a completion timeline of three to five years, said Lucero. The pace of construction depends on fundraising, which will begin in October.

Details of the project, which is estimated to run between $10-$12 million, will be hashed out come Sept. 2 when Father James King from the Diocese of Pueblo visits St. Joe's.

“He will be helping us in our (expansion) plans for the future,” said Father Edmundo Valera.

On Wednesday, construction workers from Vista Paving Corp. leveled the existing U.S. Bank structures and cleaned up the lot as a first step in the project.

“It's time to think about expansion because we're a growing community,” Valera said.