Denver’s recreation centers are hitting hard times.
Suburban centers offer more amenities, rumors of closures are swirling, and now the city’s budget crunch may mean yet another fee increase.
If that happens, children and seniors will have to carry double the dollars to access Denver’s outdoor pools next summer.
The 100-percent hike in pool fees, from $1 to $2, is part of a proposal going before the City Council on Monday. Adult swimmers would pay 50 percent more under the proposal, going from $2 to $3.
The plan also includes increases in annual membership fees and the elimination of the popular “limited use” card. Fees for camping, boating and golf also will go up if the new plan is approved.
“Going from $1 to $2 might not sound like a lot of money, but for inner-city kids who go a lot, it’s a doubling and that’s a concern,” said Councilman Doug Linkhart. “I’m hoping we can be more creative in funding our recreation centers rather than using fees.”
City staffers insist the fees are not exorbitant compared with suburban centers. But they are not comparable, say residents.
Suburban centers are virtual amusement parks with tall slides, multiple pools, indoor running tracks and baby-sitting services. Some Denver centers have shoe-box-size weight rooms, aging equipment and few games for kids. At least one lacks air conditioning.
The increased fees would help the Parks and Recreation Department recover a fraction of what it spends, said Daniel Betts, deputy manager of recreation services. Currently, the department recovers 15 percent of its budget; the proposed increases would make it 18 percent.
“We are in such tough budget times that every department is looking for ways to make a little more money for the city,” said Rosemary Rodri guez, City Council president. “But I don’t think this is the department we should be trying to make money in.”
Residents are upset, too.
“I think the fees are too high, and they want to raise them again,” said Evelyn Ornelas, who brings her grandchildren to Atzlan Recreation Center at West 44th Avenue and Navajo Street and attends ceramics at Quigg Newton Senior Center across the street. “This is a poor area as it is.”
Councilwoman Judy Montero said that while some neighborhoods can absorb the increased fees, many in her district cannot.
“There are families that can’t afford the $1 and certainly cannot afford $2,” she said.
Limited-use cards make it easier for residents who cannot pay the $125 annual adult membership upfront. There are 16,715 limited-use card holders, who purchase cards for $5 to $20, then pay $1 or $3 for each use of a recreation center.
The cards allowed for some activities but not others, and it was hard to monitor, Betts said.
Limited-use card users would be encouraged to purchase an annual membership on a payment plan. And scholarships are available; this year, 312 have been given.
Currently, there are 6,293 annual members. This would be the second time in two years the fee has been raised for adults. In 2005, it went from $100 to $125; the new plan would make it $150 in 2006.
The fee increase comes at a volatile time for Montero, who has been working with Globeville neighbors and Parks and Recreation to ease tensions surrounding the Globeville center.
About a year ago, the center was rumored to be closing, and Montero and residents think it would have if they hadn’t gotten involved. Betts insists it was never going to be closed.
But community members are skittish.
“I’m convinced they want to close the centers down,” said resident John Zapien.
The center is open four hours a day, programs are almost nonexistent, and it is staffed by workers from the Stapleton Recreation Center nearby.
The department has been seeking a nonprofit partner to help, possibly a day-care center, said Tiffiany Mohr ing, spokeswoman for Parks and Recreation.
“Community groups are stuck in the mind frame that we are going to close the center and can’t get past it,” Mohring said.
They’ve seen it happen before, Montero noted. The center was closed for more than a decade before reopening five years ago.
Quigg Newton Senior Center, which closed last year for drop-ins, is open once a week for a ceramics class. The center, owned by the Denver Housing Authority, has no employees and is overseen by Aztlan staff.
Inside the quiet center, the floor gleams and a pool table and three computers go unused. A kitchen, where cooking classes were once held, is spotless.
Staff writer Elizabeth Aguilera can be reached at 303-820-1372 or eaguilera@denverpost.com.
