Aspen cautious about adding Rec Center upgrades to long list of projects  

Aspen City Council expressed caution during an update from Business Services and Recreation departments about potential upgrades to the Aspen Recreation Center. 

The updated recreation center plans include future upgrades that could cater to an increasingly older adult population. Amenities targeted for upgrade include a two-court multi-purpose gymnasium, an elevated walking/running track, fitness spaces for group classes, and repurposing old spaces as community venues, among others.

All of the councilors expressed hesitation about taking on such a project at a time when the city of Aspen’s project list is already packed and economic outlooks are uncertain. 

“Initially, my reaction to this is pump the brakes a little bit because of the extension of staff and budget that’s going into all of the projects,” said Councilor Christine Benedetti. “Then I think about the community connection and that’s one of my goals at the council table, so I want to move it forward and be a supporter of what’s happening out there, but I have concerns about the other priorities in the community right now.”

Council had previously been working with the Recreation Department to develop a Recreation Facilities Master Plan in early 2021. In 2022, however, the project was delayed. 

In 2024, the Recreation Facilities Master Plan was revived through a business plan that the department completed with community input. Surveys taken at the time showed adult fitness and wellness, senior programming, and community space as high priorities for the business plan. 

For senior programming in particular, the plan noted that Aspen demographics might create a need for increased programming for seniors in the area. According to documents and data presented to council, the median age in Aspen is 43.6 years, higher than the U.S. national median of 38.5 years. 

“One of the things in our business plan that came up was that by 2038, the need for multi-purpose facilities is going to increase, because based off what our consultant says, our 55-plus community will grow 40% (by 2038),” Desiree Whitehead, director of the City of Aspen Recreation department, said. “We need to start to think about what that looks like for our facilities.”

While Councilor Bill Guth favored this consideration, he noted a delay would be necessary with all the projects already lined up.

“I agree that we wouldn’t be ready for construction anytime in the very near future,” Guth said, “but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be working on it now.”

No concrete cost projections were discussed in the meeting, which would require a deeper analysis into what council wanted to move forward with and a deeper financial commitment. However, all the councilors expressed an interest in keeping the upgrades on the table for a future when the economics were more certain and the city’s project list isn’t as extensive. 

Among the projects that the councilors agreed should retain priority over any recreation center upgrades were the Lumberyard project and the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport terminal and runway upgrades, both of which were on the 2025 ballot. Each was approved by voters for increased debt for the city and the county, respectively. 

Councilors also mentioned the entrance to Aspen as a major priority above the Rec Center.