Residents urge Boulder council to preserve South Boulder Rec Center as staff promise follow-up

Dozens of residents urged the Boulder City Council on Feb. 5 to preserve the South Boulder Recreation Center’s core features, saying the neighborhood facility provides walkable access to swimming, sports and emergency refuge and should not be weakened while other large projects are funded.

Speakers at the meeting described a broad local reliance on the center. “If the South Boulder Rec Center loses its pool or gym, kids like me won’t have a place close to home to swim,” said Wes, a 9-year-old testifying in person. Ann Peters, who said she has used the center since 1976, asked council to “please keep the core features of this facility in the same location — the lap pool, the double gym, the weight and the exercise rooms.”

The comments came during the public comment period and were consistent across dozens of speakers: residents, coaches and a petition organizer said the center serves Fairview High School teams, seniors, families and frequent users who can walk to the facility. Yvonne Bennett said her group collected more than 3,000 signatures asking council to “keep the core amenities” and not let an expanded East Boulder aquatic center come at South Boulder’s expense.

Speakers also pressed the council on priorities in the city budget. Several public commenters contrasted a roughly $140 million administrative campus project and other large capital commitments with the needs of neighborhood centers. Alex Veltman, an architect from South Boulder, said the South Boulder Rec Center is the primary emergency reunification site for local schools and that shelving the center’s services would remove a critical community asset.

City staff and council members responded that no decision to close the facility has been made. The city manager noted community concern and reiterated staff plans to review options; staff also pointed to a $2,000,000 investment for South Boulder Rec Center included in the 2025 budget. Allie Rhodes, the director of parks and recreation, said the city is coordinating closely with the Boulder Valley School District and stressed that joint-use agreements guide sports and aquatics access.

Councilmembers said the matter will be part of broader long-term financial conversations that will return to the council in March and May as staff prepare budget and ballot-planning work for 2027 and potential 2026 initiatives. The council heard offers from local architects and community members to meet with staff and provide technical input.

The council did not take formal action that night; staff were asked to follow up with the community and report back as part of the city’s long-term financial strategy and the upcoming Fund Our Future discussions.