Longtime users urge board to keep Spruce Pool open; staff confirms hours through Labor Day

Longtime users of Boulder’s Spruce Pool told the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board on Wednesday that the small outdoor facility serves as a community sanctuary and is not interchangeable with the larger Scott Carpenter pool.

“Please keep this pool open,” said Lynn Stein, a Boulder resident who said she swims at Spruce almost daily and relies on the quieter setting for rehabilitation and social connection. Multiple speakers described Spruce as a place that supports older adults, people with disabilities and people without air conditioning during hot weather.

Deputy Director Scott Schuttenberg told the board staff would keep Spruce Pool open through Labor Day with daily hours from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. He framed the decision around staffing and mechanical limitations at the 1963 pool: “we are gonna be keeping Spruce Pool open this year until Labor Day,” he said, and noted the facility’s older mechanical systems and student staffing constraints.

Residents urged longer early‑morning hours to accommodate regular swimmers and to preserve the pool’s role in public health and social connection. Mary Gorman, who said she began swimming at Scott Carpenter in 1968, asked staff to reconsider the 11 a.m. opening time because early‑morning swimming both supports rehabilitation and increases revenue potential.

Staff described operational constraints they balanced against public demand. Schuttenberg said older systems make it harder to sustain extended shoulder‑season operations and noted Scott Carpenter will operate on a short‑course schedule to provide additional lane capacity. Board members asked staff for more detailed usage data at the August meeting when fee proposals are presented.

The board heard dozens of public comments on the pool during the public‑comment block; no formal action was taken Wednesday beyond the operational update. The board said it would follow up with scheduling and staffing details at future meetings.