Denver Parks and Recreation is facing backlash after it changed its pool rental policies without warning, cutting off facility access to long-time community groups and private clubs. Attempts to reverse this decision are unfolding through a series of letters between the department and city council members.
According to 9News, Denver Parks and Rec canceled contracts with private swim clubs in December saying “rental fees were not fully covering costs and that the change was necessary to protect public access.”
In February, the Denver City Council sent the Parks and Rec department a letter, signed by 11 council members, urging the department to reconsider the rental policies. The Parks and Rec department answered last week, saying it is “committed to developing a new model that allows the City to rent public pools for private use without compromising public access or subsidizing private use with taxpayer dollars.”
Denver Parks and Rec is assembling a group to develop new pool rental policies, but any propositions will require approval by the City Council.
In the wake of the contract cancellations, two local swim teams, the Denver Squid and the Denver Tritons, spoke with 9News.
“We just get this abrupt message from Denver Parks and Rec saying, our contract is canceled,” said Denver Squid founder Keith Pryor. The Denver Squid is the city’s only LGBTQ+ swim team, which has struggled to find an alternative space to practice. “We’ve had members cancel their memberships. They’re like, well if I’m only going to be able to swim once a week, I’m not going to pay a monthly membership rate. And that’s totally fair.”
The Tritons have had similar issues finding alternative practice space, noting that most pools in Denver are operated by either Denver Parks and Rec or Denver Public Schools.
“We really want to be back in the water,” Pryor said.
