Congress Park Neighbors has learned that Councilman New has reached an agreement with Parks & Rec to keep the Congress Park pool open for 2019 by paying for the maintenance work on the pool out of his council budget

From: Parks and Rec <parksandrecreation@denvergov.org>
Sent: Fri, Nov 2, 2018 1:39 pm
Subject: Update on the Congress Park Pool Scheduled Improvements

Fri, Nov 2, 2018 1:39 pm

As you may know, the Congress Park Pool was selected to be a project on the Elevate Denver Bond list, which was approved by voters in 2017. In order to complete these improvements, the Congress Park Pool will need to be closed in the summer of 2019 and the summer of 2020.

The closure of Congress Park Pool in 2019 and 2020 will result in new pool and facility to serve the community starting in 2021, thanks the Elevate Denver. Built in 1955, Congress Park Pool is one of Denver’s oldest outdoor pools, and after 63 years of operation it has also become one of the city’s most costly pools to maintain. In recent years, Congress Park Pool has seen multiple opening delays due to major leaks. Many of the pool’s components are age-worn and in need of complete replacement, making it cost prohibitive to open in 2019 with construction of the new facility on the horizon.

 Thanks to the Elevate Denver bond, this project is fully funded, and the city can begin the process of building a state-of-the-art, public swimming pool. This project is one of the first bond projects to be launched. While bond projects will continue to roll out over the next 10 years with several fund issuances, work for Congress Park Pool was identified as a priority to start in the first year.

Projected Timeline:

• Fall 2018 | Design & Construction Procurement: Request for Qualifications (RFQs) will be released for both design consultant and construction management
• Winter 2018-2019 | Initial Geotechnical Work: The ground surrounding the current pool structure will be examined to see what types of issues have been caused over time.
• Spring-Summer 2019 | Community Outreach: The public will be invited to participate in meetings and/or surveys to help inform the design of the new facility.
  • The design process will include various means of gathering community input to ensure the Congress Park Pool remains a special and valued asset for the neighborhood. Local neighborhood organizations, schools, and community groups are encouraged to be involved.
• 2020 | Construction Begins: It’s expected to break-ground on the project sometime in 2020, with the pool projected to open for the summer in 2021.

During the closure, there are many other indoor and outdoor public pools open to help keep you physically fit and cool during the summer. The closest outdoor pools to the Congress Park neighborhood are Mestizo-Curtis Pool and La Alma Pool.  Find the full list of pools at denvergov.org/recreation.

To stay updated on this, please email parksandrecreation@denvergov.org to be added to the distribution list. We will be in touch in 2019 when community outreach begins.