Residents organize to save the South Boulder Recreation Center

Ryan Bennett, his wife Yvonne and their three kids live just a short walk from the South Boulder Recreation Center — a place they use so often that Ryan jokes they’re likely on the “power user list.”

But their go-to spot is now in jeopardy. The City of Boulder recently announced that the aging rec center is nearing the end of its life and could face sudden closure unless a replacement plan is developed.

Now, the family is helping lead Reimagine South Boulder Rec Center, a growing group of nearly 200 people that formed in just a few weeks. They’re working with the city to push for a new rec center while ensuring the current one stays open until it’s replaced.

“There’s unbelievable passion and so many amazing stories of the impact that the rec center has had in this community,” Bennett said. Reimagine “brought a ton of really passionate, energized people together.”

The group is also raising awareness. On Nov. 18, Yvonne Castillo, another member of Reimagine South Boulder Rec Center, told the city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board that every time she swims, she approaches people in the hot tub to ask if they know the pool could close. “Inevitably, 99% of the time, I have blank faces looking at me,” Castillo said. “So there are a lot of people in the community that use the pool on a daily basis and don’t know anything about what’s going on.”

The South Boulder rec center, built 50 years ago, has been deteriorating for years. A boiler has already failed once, flooding the gym, and the boiler that heats the pool still needs to be replaced. If it fails again, the pool will close for good. The sewer system also has issues, and if it fails, the entire rec center will shut down.

The deteriorating rec center highlights a larger issue for Boulder: Deferred maintenance on aging buildings and infrastructure is catching up with the city, and the timing couldn’t be worse. With rising costs and stagnant sales tax revenues squeezing the budget, the city faces tough decisions about how to address mounting repair needs while balancing other priorities.

City officials say major repairs and renovations at the South Boulder Rec Center aren’t feasible due to its age and condition. A 2016 assessment projected the center would reach the end of its life by 2026, and replacing it would cost tens of millions of dollars — funds the city doesn’t currently have.

A 2025 ballot measure could help fund a new rec center by allowing the city to increase its debt through bonds. Ali Rhodes, director of Boulder’s Parks and Recreation Department, said the city might also consider using the bonds to address deferred maintenance for public safety, transportation and parks.

“There is almost always polling to get a general and statistically valid input from the community as to what things people are feeling an appetite for,” Rhodes said. “Generally, you don’t put something on the ballot if it’s not polling above 55%.”

If there’s sufficient interest, Rhodes expects potential ballot measure language to go to the city council by May or June 2025. However, city officials won’t have detailed cost estimates by then, meaning council members will have to decide whether to proceed immediately or wait until 2026 for more precise numbers.

At the Nov. 18 meeting, several members of Reimagine South Boulder Rec Center said they’re ready to support outreach for bonds or other funding measures.

“I, too, would be very happy to do whatever community building it would take to raise the bonds to keep the rec center as it is, with a pool,” said Irene Lee, a South Boulder resident of 16 years. “We all have to understand that the rec center is not a money-making business. It costs a lot of money to fund and run and maintain, and it is worth it, because it provides a really priceless resource to our communities.” Lee’s sons, 11 and 14, grew up swimming and playing at the rec center and now walk there on their own. 

Several speakers said they had moved to South Boulder partly because of the rec center. Many were parents, and some children and teens also spoke.

Jimmie Connolly, 21, who worked as a lifeguard at the rec center for five years, recalled opening the pool one winter morning to find regular swimmers bundled up and waiting outside. “As I let them in, they shared stories about how they’d formed lifelong friendships in that very pool, meeting each morning to swim laps and support one another,” he said. 

Ryan Bennett said he had always assumed the rec center would be there. “When some of this stuff came up, it started to make myself and my wife realize, ‘Wow, you can’t take this for granted,’” he said. “So we need to organize and ensure that the community has its voice heard.”

Would a new South Boulder rec center include a pool?

Reimagine South Boulder Rec Center has quickly become a partner in the city’s Future of Recreation Centers project.

The group participated in a meeting with city officials and community organizations and will join a Jan. 15 “game night” workshop to provide input on Boulder’s three rec centers, including South Boulder’s facility.

Interactive posters will also be displayed in the rec center at the end of January to gather additional feedback before the engagement period closes.

Working with Denver-based Perkins&Will, city officials plan to present designs by spring 2025 to guide ballot measure discussions. These will include high-level concepts for South Boulder’s facility and detailed plans for East Boulder Recreation Center renovations, already funded through the Community, Culture, Resilience and Safety Sales and Use Tax. 

One key debate is whether a pool will be part of South Boulder’s future. Members of Reimagine advocate for including a pool, whether through renovations — a costly option the city would consider if the community supports it — or in a new facility.

“We’ve got a big hole in the ground already,” said Yvonne Castillo.

Deryn Wagner, Boulder’s senior landscape architect, explained that structural challenges make it difficult to keep the pool in its current location, which sits on lower ground than Viele Lake, directly south of the building.

“All of the water that is around that pool and the foundation of the building is making it weak,” Wagner said. This issue has plagued the facility since it was built, driving up maintenance costs. If the community wants to keep a pool in that area, she said, it might need to be relocated to another part of the site.

Ryan Bennett said initial confusion about the rec center’s future has eased, describing discussions with city leaders as positive. “The question is now: ‘What does that look like?’” he said. “I think that’s the fun and exciting work to do.”

Correction: A previous version of the story reported that the boiler that heats the pool failed and flooded the gym. A separate boiler that does not heat the pool flooded the gym.