Future of Recreation Centers

Thank you for helping us plan for the future of Boulder's indoor recreation centers!

More than 1,800 people filled out the online questionnaire in September. Congratulations to our winner of the 10-day recreation center pass drawing - Molly B.! You can still sign up for project email updates at the bottom of this page.

This window of engagement is now closed as we work to analyze your input over the next 6 to 8 weeks. We will be sharing the latest project schedule and approach with the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (PRAB) on Monday, Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. We will then share the engagement window summary on the project webpage and at the PRAB meeting on Monday, Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. Learn more about upcoming meetings on the PRAB webpage.

Boulder’s system of three publicly accessible recreation centers reflects our community’s long-held values and support for health, wellness, and fitness. This project is solely focused on indoor recreation and older adult services provided at all 3 recreation center sites. It does not include outdoor recreation in adjacent or other outdoor spaces. These centers exist within a range of other recreation facilities in the city, including private gyms, Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) facilities, and University of Colorado (CU) facilities.

City recreation center buildings are nearing the end of their lifecycle and are using high amounts of energy, water (i.e., pool leaks), and limited resources. To meet citywide climate goals, reductions in energy and water use must be made. Addressing these issues requires costly physical improvements. However, city budgets are constrained. Public engagement, data, funding and city policies will guide the city’s strategic and phased approach to making improvements at each center over the next 10+ years. Current next steps include:

• The East Boulder Community Center and East Age Well Center is an ideal candidate for renovations, which are funded by the Community Culture Safety and Resilience tax. In addition to energy efficiency upgrades, community input will inform what these renovations include. Construction is expected to start in 2026.
• Renovations to the other two recreation centers (North and South) have not been planned or funded. City council accepted the 2021 Facilities Plan and 2022 BPR Plan, both of which confirmed that South Boulder Recreation Center has reached the end of its life. Major repairs or renovations at South are neither feasible nor funded. The level of service we can provide at South may decrease as parts of the building fail, requiring more investment than is wise or feasible given the building’s age and condition. The Future of Recreation Center Project anticipates reductions in service levels at South and will explore whether and how these services could be accommodated at East. Community input will help prioritize which indoor recreation activities are most important to provide in the South Boulder location, if a replacement structure were to be funded in the future.

Thank you for your support as we plan for the future of Boulder’s recreation centers. We are committed to engaging our community regarding these long-term decisions. Please engage and let your voice shape your play!

In April 2023, community members provided feedback about their hopes, fears and values for the future of Boulder's recreation centers during engagement window 1. More than 1,200 community members filled out the online questionnaire and nearly 100 community members participated in in-person sessions at the centers. We heard love for many indoor recreation activities including sports and community gathering. More details can be found in the Window 1 Engagement Summary.

In September 2024, we asked community members to help us prioritize values and indoor recreation activities as part of engagement window 2. The Engagement Window 2 Summary will be posted here soon.