Mayor Mike Johnston has pledged to protect core city services as he closes a projected budget gap of $20 million in 2026.
Potholes will be filled. Trash will be picked up. Police will still patrol the city streets.
But if you love watching sports or news on TV while you pump iron at your neighborhood gym, you may soon be out of luck.
Starting in 2026, Parks and Recreation will eliminate cable TV service at Denver rec centers.
Cutting the cord will save the city $35,000 — a small part of closing a $200 million projected budget gap.
No, this is not as devastating as more than 170 city workers losing their jobs (and hundreds more vacant positions being eliminated), slashes to public safety programs or workforce training programs. There are no big issues at stake, like concerns about election integrity raised by the Denver Clerk and Recorder or a $500,000 cut to the Support Team Assisted Response (STAR) Program.
It’s not even as impactful as cutting child care programs at rec centers, to say nothing of the rest of the $11 million slashed from the department’s budget.
To be real, the TVs mostly just flashed images in the background for me.
But for people looking for distractions while doing squats or huffing on a treadmill, the shift might be noticeable and more gym users might be streaming TV or listening to podcasts on their phones as a result.
But will the parks department come up with another TV solution?
“That has not yet been decided,” said Stephanie Figueroa, Parks and Recreation spokesperson.
