Spruce Pool, the public swimming pool on 21st and Spruce streets, will shut down a few weeks early this year, on Aug. 17, as the City of Boulder looks for ways to cut costs.
“Given the city’s current financial position and a hiring freeze that has been implemented citywide, all city departments have been asked to reduce service levels,” city spokesperson Kate Hernandez told Boulder Reporting Lab.
Typically, the pool closes on Labor Day, but Boulder Parks and Recreation moved that date up this year in order to protect other services that aren’t as easily replicated, according to Hernandez. The city is encouraging residents to go to other pools, like Scott Carpenter, which staff expect will be less crowded due to a reduction in swim team usage. The department cited other public agencies that close their small community pools when the school year begins – in this case, the week of Aug. 11…