For more than a century, Spruce Pool has been a fixture in Boulder’s Whittier neighborhood. It is one of the city’s few public lap pools and a gathering place for a close-knit community of regulars.
Now, its future is uncertain.
The city manager’s recommended budget would use about $134,000 in one-time funding to keep Spruce open through the summer of 2027. City staff have not decided to close the pool, but they say no ongoing funding currently exists to operate it beyond next year.
“For many of us, Spruce Pool means summer in Boulder,” said Lynn Stein, who has been swimming there for 32 years. She and other regulars said closing the pool would mean losing not only a place to exercise but also a community built over decades.
“We understand that this can be very disappointing for community members,” said Scott Schuttenberg, deputy director of Boulder Parks and Recreation. He said the lack of continued funding “is not a reflection of the value of Spruce Pool.”
The uncertainty over Spruce comes amid broader strain on Boulder’s recreation system. The city is trying to close a $6.3 million gap in its 2027 general fund as operating costs rise and tax revenue remains flat. It also faces roughly $400 million in unfunded repairs and replacements for aging public buildings, including its rec centers.
Voters will decide in November whether to authorize up to $400 million in city debt, repaid through higher property taxes, for major capital projects. But the measure’s passage is far from assured. A recent poll found that it lacked majority support.
Even if voters approve the Recreation and Safety Bond, the money could not cover recurring expenses such as lifeguard wages, utilities and pool chemicals. Spruce is not among the projects the city has identified for bond funding, and the measure would provide no money to operate it. The bond “does not address operational or ongoing dollars,” Schuttenberg said.
The budget pressures extend beyond Spruce. The recommended 2027 budget, released Aug. 28, would reduce hours at Scott Carpenter Pool outside the peak summer season, lay off 13 city employees, eliminate 11 vacant positions and cut other services. It would mark the third consecutive year of citywide budget reductions as Boulder contends with rising costs and sluggish revenue growth.
The Parks and Recreation Department has tried to bring in more money by raising fees and introducing a new membership program. But additional service reductions were expected in 2027 because expenses continued to outpace revenue.
A neighborhood gathering place
Spruce Pool began as an offshoot of the ice business next door. The Hygienic Ice and Coal Company built an enclosed swimming pool at Spruce and 21st streets in 1922, using warm water produced during ice manufacturing at its adjacent plant. Known as the Hygienic Swimming Pool, it opened the following year.
Historic photographs preserved by the Carnegie Library for Local History show children taking swimming lessons there, including classes sponsored by the Boulder School Board. The city bought the pool in 1950. In 1963, it demolished the enclosed building and reopened the site as the outdoor Spruce Pool.
Longtime swimmers said Spruce has become a gathering place that cannot be replicated at Boulder’s other pools. They described Scott Carpenter Pool as busier and more like a water park, with larger crowds, more amenities and difficult parking. Spruce, they said, is quieter and more conducive to conversation. Stein described it as an informal third place where people can catch up with friends without making plans in advance, particularly for Boulder retirees.
The prospect of losing that community has alarmed regulars.
“It’s a devastating loss to us,” said Mary Gorman, 73, who uses the pool for physical therapy and said it helped her reconnect with neighbors after the pandemic closures.
Regulars said Spruce also tends to draw fewer competitive swimmers than Scott Carpenter, leaving more room for older adults, people recovering from surgery and residents with mobility limitations. Gorman said the pool is important to residents’ physical and mental health.
Other swimmers questioned the prospect of closing a public pool as Boulder’s summers grow hotter. They said Spruce can provide relief during hot weather, particularly for people without air conditioning at home.
Schuttenberg said the city has no plans to sell the property, but some regulars worry that a closure could eventually lead to its sale.
“The value of Spruce is so much more than the dollars a developer is looking at,” said Deborah Fryer, another swimmer.
Stein and other residents said they hope to work with the city to find a way to keep the pool open.
Fewer visits, higher costs
Spruce’s operating costs have exceeded its revenue since it reopened in 2023, according to city staff. In 2025, the pool closed weeks before its traditional Labor Day closing date as the city sought to reduce costs.
Spruce, which is much smaller than Scott Carpenter Pool, recorded about 15,000 visits in 2024, compared with 59,000 at Scott Carpenter.
That year, Spruce cost about $203,000 to operate and generated roughly $120,000 in revenue, leaving an $83,000 gap covered by money from elsewhere in the Parks and Recreation system.
City spokesperson Kate Hernandez said the one-time $134,000 allocation from the general fund would cover the projected gap between the pool’s expenses and revenue in 2027.
“This subsidy is not something we can afford after 2027,” she said.
City staff said staffing, pool chemicals and utilities have also become more expensive. Gas and electricity for the pool cost about $9,600 in 2019. By 2024, that figure had more than tripled, to $32,900.
Schuttenberg said substantially raising admission prices was not a workable solution because Boulder already charges fees at the higher end of the market.
“It is a balancing act,” he said. Charge too much, he added, and fewer people use the facility, reducing revenue.
Keeping Spruce open beyond 2027 without a new source of money would likely require cuts elsewhere in Parks and Recreation, Schuttenberg said. He said the department has prioritized access for lower-income residents, older adults on fixed incomes, people with disabilities and children, along with basic park maintenance, including cleanliness and safety.
“Moving forward, there’s a lot of unknowns, but at this point we just don’t have the operating budget beyond 2027,” Schuttenberg said. He said he hoped the city would discuss possible new funding sources next year.
The recommended budget will undergo several public reviews. The city council is scheduled to discuss it at a study session on Sept. 10 and will hold public hearings on Oct. 1 and 15.
The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board is scheduled to review the budget and make a recommendation to the city council at its Sept. 28 meeting. Board Chair Andrew Bernstein said members were not briefed on the proposed loss of ongoing Spruce Pool funding before the budget was released publicly on Aug. 28. The board reviews the Parks and Recreation budget each year and recommends whether the city council should approve it.
“I’ve never seen a PRAB not recommend the budget,” Bernstein said. “However, this is the first time we’ve ever been asked to recommend a budget that includes service cuts.”
Brooke Stephenson contributed reporting to this story.
