Last summer, Florida Archuleta watched her four grandchildren splash in a small, 2-foot-deep plastic pool in her front yard.
The La Alma Pool, run by the city of Denver, is a block or two from her home, but Archuleta took her grandchildren only when she had the money — two or three times a month.
The fee “for four children is too expensive to afford every day for swimming,” she said.
But that was last summer.
After Mayor John Hickenlooper announced that the city’s recreation centers and pools will be free for children younger than the age of 17, Archuleta plans to take her grandchildren to La Alma as often as possible.
Hickenlooper dropped the $2 per-child fee to encourage kids to stay off the streets and out of trouble.
Workers with the city’s Parks and Recreation Department said they’ve already seen more kids at the pools.
“There are so many little kids,” said Kristin Kudebeh, a 17-year-old lifeguard at the La Alma pool. “There’s a lot of them from the ages of 5 to 10 — there’s just so many of them. It’s crazy.”
Jill McGranahan, a spokeswoman for Parks and Rec, said she expects about 170,000 visits this summer — almost double from 2007.
David LaPointe, 11, said he plans to triple his visits this summer.
“It’s a great way to get in shape,” he said, “and get nice and cold on a hot summer day.”
Some parents questioned how much money the city will lose and if they’d have to pay for the passes in the end.
But Hickenlooper said it won’t cost the city more than $275,000 — that’s a worst-case scenario — and that money has already been secured. He said more adults will bring kids, and that will help make up for some of the losses. Adults pay $3 per visit, or $40 for a season pass.
Jill Cleveland, who was at the Congress Park pool on Friday, said she plans to take her 3-year-old twin daughters to the pool more often.
“I cannot tell you how thrilled I am,” she said. “We use the pool a lot.”
Christopher Sanchez: 303-954-1698 or csanchez@denverpost.com
