Flagstaff PROS restores Sunday Aquaplex hours after survey; weekday-hour reallocations keep Hal Jensen closed weekends

At a meeting of the Commission on Inclusion and Adaptive Living, City of Flagstaff recreation staff said they reinstated limited Sunday hours at the Flagstaff Aquaplex after a community survey and reallocated previously scheduled Saturday hours at Hal Jensen Recreation Center into longer weekday hours to better serve high-school users.

The change followed a community recreation survey taken last summer in which more than 600 people responded, Recreation Manager Tyrone Johnson said. Johnson told commissioners the survey showed the Aquaplex was the facility most frequently missed because of limited weekend hours, prompting staff to reintroduce Sundays at the pool this spring.

"We had to relook at our budget and just make sure because we had a summer day camp program where we're doing full-week programs," Johnson said. "So we started offering Sunday hours just a few weeks ago. Our first day was on Mother's Day. That first day, we had 56 people come in. The next week, we had 116 members come in. And then this past Sunday, we had 23 members."

Johnson outlined current operating hours for the four City recreation facilities: Flagstaff Aquaplex (now Monday–Saturday, 6 a.m.–8 p.m., with recent Sunday openings), Josie Montoya Community and Senior Center (Monday–Thursday, 7 a.m.–8 p.m.; Friday, 7 a.m.–2 p.m.), J Lively Activity Center (seven days a week, with programming calendars posted online) and Hal Jensen Recreation Center (weekday hours prioritized; currently open 10 a.m.–7 p.m. Monday–Friday, with no regular Saturday or Sunday hours). Johnson said weekend hours at Hal Jensen were not restored because the survey did not show a strong community push there and because of budget constraints.

Commissioners asked how staff might revisit Hal Jensen weekend hours. Johnson said staff plan to run facility-specific surveys in addition to the citywide polling and that any change would depend on community response and available budget: "If we get a result that's really pushing that we need to be open on Saturdays and/or Sundays at the rec center, then we'll definitely revisit that and see what we can do in terms of budget and hours and what makes sense."

The Commission discussed program affordability. Johnson and Parks, Recreation, Open Space and Events Director Rebecca Sayers said the Aquaplex began accepting the Renew Active membership benefit in April; Renew Active access currently applies only at the Aquaplex. The department also operates a scholarship program that can be used across the facilities; staff said the scholarship provides roughly 50% off fees and is designed to reduce paperwork and barriers to access.

Commissioners pressed about a universal pass that would cover multiple centers. Johnson said there has been no formal policy decision: because the Aquaplex is a membership-based facility and other centers operate on different pricing models, a universal pass would require more work on affordability and program structure.

No motions or formal votes were taken. Staff took commission requests and said they will return with more center-specific survey results and implementation options.

Why this matters: The changes affect daily access to recreation and swim facilities, influence after-school and weekend opportunities for youth, and reflect the department’s balancing of community demand, staffing and budget constraints.

For follow-up: Johnson said staff will provide center-specific survey data if commissioners request it and will explore fundraising or rental-event revenue options to offset costs if the commission seeks expanded weekend service.