Cooling off in the summer will remain a little harder for residents near Mestizo-Curtis Park in Five Points.
The pool in Denver’s oldest park has been closed since last summer as the city prepared to give it a fresh look.
Since 2021, Denver has been reserving funds from a bond package to give Mestizo-Curtis Park a new pool and bathhouse, which were built in the 1950s.
About 23,000 people visit the park each year.
“The pool itself is beyond its useful life,” said Emily Ziegler, the assistant director of park design and construction. “It's no longer serving the community as intended.”
But those plans have been in flux until Denver Parks and Recreation staff presented a proposal to Denver City Council’s Land Use, Transportation and Infrastructure committee on Tuesday.
The staff presentation outlined schematics for the future pool: a bean-shaped kid pool with a potential play tower, a water slide, a 25-yard lap pool, and a bathhouse.
There’s a catch, however — as things stand, construction won’t be finished until summer 2027. That’s something Parks and Rec staff have received complaints about during public feedback sessions.
“Some of the bigger responses we got was the need for a larger leisure pool [and] to accelerate the timeline where possible for the construction of the project,” said Mercy Wright, the project manager for the Mestizo-Curtis Park pool.
The cost of the aquatic center is currently estimated at $14.5 million. Funds will come from the 2021 RISE Bond and the Parks and Rec budget.
Before the project is finalized, city council has to approve the plan to build the 5,500-square-foot bathhouse, per Denver zoning laws.
The LUTI committee passed the proposal unanimously, and it’s expected to face a final vote in June.
