Spruce Pool to be closed for summer

Parks & Rec forced to reduce some services amid hiring challenges

Boulder Parks and Recreation has officially decided to reduce services this summer due to staffing constraints.

According to a news release from the city, Spruce Pool will remain closed for the summer because Parks and Rec was able to hire only 90 of the 140 lifeguards needed to fully operate both Spruce Pool and Scott Carpenter Pool.

The Scott Carpenter lap pool amenities will open Monday with a limited schedule. The leisure pool will open on Memorial Day. The full summer schedule begins May 31.

Parks and Recreation will continue offering daily lap swim and leisure pool time at the indoor pools at the East Boulder Community Center and North Boulder Recreation Center. One facility’s aquatics area will be open weekdays from 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. this summer.

Under the reduced service level, Boulder Parks and Recreation has said it will prioritize safety at its parks. This includes mowing, playground maintenance, hazardous tree removal, waste management and graffiti removal. Aesthetic tasks such as edging and weed removal will happen less frequently.

At Boulder Reservoir, trash removal, mowing, weeding and goose waste removal will happen less frequently. Furthermore, boat inspections may require schedule adjustments. The department does not expect any impacts for the swim beach schedule and lake operations.

The department had previously identified three service level scenarios: ideal, reduced and constrained. Within each, there is a staffing threshold and a specific level of services, operations and

programming that could be offered.

If additional lifeguards are hired, they will help support the “constrained” service level, which could result in increased hours at the Scott Carpenter leisure pool, indoor lap pools and indoor leisure pools, according to the news release.

Employees hired after Memorial Day will address the expected turnover in seasonal staff throughout the summer and attrition that begins to accelerate in July, the city noted.

Stay informed about Parks and Recreation service levels at bit.ly/3wfmlne.

Matthew Jonas / Staff Photographer Spruce Pool pictured in July 2020, will not reopen in 2022 because the Boulder Parks & Recreation Department was not able to hire the 140 lifeguards needed to to safely operate that pool and the city’s other aquatic facilities.