Residents and children urge council to save South Boulder Recreation Center and pool

Dozens of residents, including children who walk to programming, urged the Boulder City Council on April 2 to preserve the South Boulder Recreation Center and its pool as the city weighs options for facilities spending.

The testimony, delivered during the meeting’s open‑comment period, ranged from personal recovery stories to technical critiques of staff analysis. "The rec center just helped me so much in my recovery," said Finn Rose, a Southern Hills Middle School student, describing therapy and exercise equipment that helped rebuild strength and balance after a stroke. Young speakers repeatedly emphasized that the center is walking distance for many families and that the pool provides an essential place for athletic training, rehabilitation and youth programs.

Longer testimony from neighborhood residents and advocates detailed the tradeoffs in the staff packet. Ryan Bennett said the packet presents two sharply different options for South: "One preserves a pool and a gym. The other eliminates them entirely in favor of an indoor field house," and urged the council to prioritize capital to rebuild South. Bennett also flagged the scale of planned work elsewhere, saying the packet lists roughly $50 million to $70 million for minimum improvements at the north and east centers and noted a sequencing claim that rebuilding South wouldn’t be considered until after $138,000,000 is spent at those other centers.

Other speakers described equity and community impacts. Sunny Vander Starr, who formerly served on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, argued South Boulder should be envisioned as a "community hub" combining pools, fitness, senior and teen spaces and childcare. Residents and young athletes said losing the pool would reduce access for people who cannot easily travel to other parts of the city.

Several commenters criticized the staff analysis and asked for clearer, comparative cost information. Pam Unrau said the packet did not include repair quotes or an option that realistically evaluates renovating and repairing the existing mid‑century building, asking, "Who made this assessment? Was it staff in an office or professionals who actually do this kind of work?"

City staff thanked speakers for the feedback and said they are compiling a fuller set of materials for next week’s council discussion of facilities prioritization. Staff recommended the community follow the city’s "Fund Our Future" engagement process for prioritization input.

Meeting context and next steps: Council members thanked young speakers and residents for their testimony and said staff will bring additional information to next week’s discussion of facilities and possible ballot measures. No final decision on South Boulder was recorded in the transcript excerpt.