Residents, children and advocates urge council to keep South Boulder Rec Center and pool
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Summary
Dozens of residents, including many children and youth sports participants, urged the City Council during open comment to preserve the South Boulder Recreation Center and its pool and requested staff evaluate renovation options that retain core amenities rather than replace them with a field house.
At the start of the April 2 council meeting, a large group of South Boulder residents — including children who spoke in the meeting's public comment period — urged the City Council to preserve the South Boulder Recreation Center and its pool.
Children and families described the rec center as a neighborhood hub that is walkable for youth, supports swim teams and athletic recovery, and anchors intergenerational programming. Penelope ("Penny") Heller, Matthew Turk and Caden Bennett described walking or biking access and said losing the pool would reduce safe, affordable recreation for children and older residents. Brenda Lee (Boulder Bear Coalition) and other speakers also urged greater investment in South Boulder services and questioned assumptions used in facility planning.
Several speakers criticized staff materials for not including a concrete repair‑versus‑rebuild cost comparison, asked whether historic value of the mid‑century building had been evaluated, and requested staff gather repair quotes before excluding renovation options. Ryan Bennett and others argued the planning packet's two scenarios for South represent fundamentally different facilities (one preserves pool and gym; the other replaces them with an indoor field house) and called for prioritizing a rebuild that retains a pool and gym rather than eliminating them.
City staff acknowledged the strong public interest and said the Council will receive more contextual information at a follow‑up meeting next week, including a facilities assessment and Fund Our Future prioritization materials for public input.
Council members thanked the many young speakers and encouraged continued engagement through the city's Fund Our Future online tools. Several council members asked staff to present clearer cost comparisons and to ensure future materials address equity and access.
