Northglenn – What to do with the recreational center …
When it rains, the ceiling drips in the senior center, which is in the recreation center complex. The fitness area is home to just a handful of lonely StairMasters and exercise bikes. The 30-year- old swimming pool can’t handle senior lap swimmers and little tykes splashing at the same time.
And despite user fees, the city spends about $1 million a year just to keep the center afloat.
While surrounding cities such as Broomfield, Thornton and Westminster have built newer, fancier recreation centers in recent years – in some cases attracting Northglenn residents to drive across city lines to join – Northglenn’s recreation center, built in 1974, has remained mostly dormant.
In January, Northglenn held a special election to get approval to revamp the place. Residents balked at the $32 million initial price tag.
Most Northglenn officials believe the center still needs some kind of investment, but the question is how much.
At a City Council study session last month, Northglenn recreation director Steve Zoet presented a list of options for revamping the rec center. The options start as low as just over $1 million for a basic face-lift to close to $13 million for a large renovation that would include the gymnasium, pool, fitness area, locker rooms, senior center and other places.
Mayor Kathleen Novak would like to see a sizable investment.
An attractive area, Novak hopes, could provide the city much-needed sales-tax revenue and a way to compete with its bigger, growing neighbors.
“A good rec center, when it’s busy, that just feeds the restaurants and the entertainment that’s going on next door,” she said. “We want this to be an experience.”
But Gene Wieneke, Novak’s opponent in Tuesday’s mayoral election, isn’t so sure. He wants the city to spend its money on existing shopping centers.
“I want to see something done on the rec center,” he said. “But I think before they move forward, they should determine what the needs are.”
Councilman Bill Gillespie said he also favors improving the rec center, but he worries that creating a bigger center will only increase the amount of subsidy.
“I’m not saying we shouldn’t do it,” Gillespie said. “I’m saying we should really weigh the cost versus the benefit.”
Staff writer John Ingold can be reached at 720-929-0898 or jingold@denverpost.com.
