Boulder Parks staff preview needs assessment for rec centers; East designs set, South to get short-term pool repairs

Allie Rhodes, director of Parks and Recreation for the city of Boulder, told the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board that a draft needs assessment for the city’s three recreation centers will be ready late June or early July and will feed into design work for East Boulder and citywide funding conversations.

The assessment, staff said, is intended as an informational document rather than a decision package. “It’s not a plan. It’s not a full commitment that you and city council would need to accept,” said Darren Wagner, the project manager and senior landscape architect on the Future of Recreation Centers project. He said the report will identify what funded renovations can address and what needs would remain for later funding rounds.

Why it matters: the study will shape a near-term renovation scope at East, provide inputs for the citywide “Fund Our Future” prioritization process and help the department decide whether to pursue replacement or phased repairs at South and North Boulder recreation centers.

Key findings and priorities - Systemwide priorities identified through public engagement include fitness/strength and cardio spaces, aquatics, mindfulness and wellness programming, and multipurpose spaces. Wagner said the engagement included micro‑engagements, a 50‑person prioritization workshop and open office hours that drew about 100 attendees. - East Boulder: Community feedback emphasized warm‑water wellness and stronger connections between the East rec center and the co‑located East AgeWell Center for older adults. Staff said preliminary design options for East will be released as part of the summer engagement window. - North Boulder: The center is heavily used and faces crowding and parking constraints; community members asked for more program and program space, and possibly an indoor track if feasible at the site. - South Boulder: Facilities and fleet evaluations have flagged South as the most physically deteriorated. Staff secured near‑term funding for repairs intended to extend the building’s useful life, with work planned this summer that could require a temporary closure of the pool area. Megan Lohman, senior manager for recreation, described the repair package as including pool replastering, large aquatics‑area fans to improve air circulation, HVAC and gym repairs and repainting of the pool area. Staff said they intend to keep the remainder of the building operational while pool work takes place.

Funding context and next steps Staff said East’s renovation conversations will be tied to funding from the voter‑approved Community, Culture, Resilience and Safety (CCRS) tax and other capital planning efforts. Wagner said the needs assessment will also inform the citywide Fund Our Future discussions, which are examining how parks and other city needs stack up against each other for potential ballot proposals.

Timing and engagement: Wagner said the project team will release preliminary East design options and the final needs assessment in the summer; a community council forum is scheduled for June 12 and staff expect to bring the needs assessment back to the board in July for more detailed review.

Staff cautioned the board that the assessment does not determine final funding or construction decisions; those would require further council and community processes. "Once we have this report together ... the conversations will change," Wagner said, describing the report as the end of an informational phase and the start of funding and design decisions.

Ending: The board will receive the needs assessment in July; staff plan follow‑up engagements on East design options over the summer and additional scoping work at South later this year.