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Volume 16, Number 16 | June 6-12, 2024
i n m g a e up r D summer Carbondale Aquatics Center capital campaign to ‘Make a Splash’ on First Friday JEANNE SOULDERN Sopris Sun Correspondent
The “Let’s Make a Splash” capital campaign benefitting the Carbondale Aquatics Center will officially launch its fundraising efforts at Chacos Park at 4th and Main on First Friday, June 7. The Sopris Sun recently spoke with Carbondale officials, Town Manager Lauren Gister, Parks and Recreation Director Eric Brendlinger and Recreation Programs and Community Center Manager Margaret Donnelly for the latest news on the pool fundraising campaign, which has a goal of $1.6 million.
From 1979 to today The John M. Fleet Pool, on the corner of Main and 7th Street, is currently closed for demolition. Opened in 1979, the well-loved and well-used pool’s annual statistics on usage averages over 10,000 users, with over 2,000 people taking public swim lessons (100 taking private lessons), over 700 students from schools and camps visiting the pool and over 500 older adults taking water aerobics classes. Donnelly cited the pool as a popular destination for many community youth groups, including Stepping Stones, Marble
Charter School, Blue Lake Preschool and the Carbondale Community School, to name only a few. In addition to usage intensity, other factors determining an outdoor municipal pool’s longevity include construction quality, maintenance practices and climate conditions. Brendlinger said in 2015, as the pool was approaching its four-decade mark, the Parks and Rec Commission began writing a 10-year master plan. “A big piece of that plan was to look at how, in those 10 years, we could replace our aging pool,” he said. As pool repairs became more frequent, the Town determined it was time to build a new pool facility to ensure a functional, safe and enjoyable user experience. In 2020, the Town completed a master plan for a new aquatics center and in 2022, voters passed an $8 million bond issue with 72% approval. In May 2023, the Town contracted with AD Miller Services, Inc., a Colorado construction company with considerable pool-building expertise. In June 2023, the Town chose Carbondale-based Land+Shelter Architecture continued on page 4
Land+Shelter and Connect One Design have formulated a sleek design for the net-zero aquatics center with elements that can be subtracted or phased in depending on how fundraising goes. Courtesy graphic