Pitkin County considering contribution to Carbondale Pool fundraiser
Colin Suszynski/The Aspen Times
Pitkin County commissioners are considering contributing money garnered from its own park dedication fees toward a pool renovation project in Carbondale, which lies outside of Pitkin County boundaries.
Pitkin County commissioners on Wednesday, May 28, discussed how to use $531,695 remaining in a fund from park dedication fees. Commissioners primarily discussed using that money for several projects, one of which was the Carbondale pool.
Costs to expand Carbondale’s public pool are currently exceeding an $8 million bond the town used to support the project. Brian Froelich, Carbondale Rec Center Aquatics and Health and Wellness coordinator, expects ongoing construction of the pool renovation to finish in fall and open in spring 2026.
To offset growing construction costs, which Froelich said are primarily caused by inflating material and labor costs since the bond was approved in 2022, the Rec Center has been fundraising for an additional $2.5 million. This would bring the fund for the pool up to $10.5 million. The Rec Center can also utilize some money from its general fund and from a recreation sales use tax fund to finish the project.
They have a $13.4 million maximum spending cap but are hoping to complete the project for less than that.
The Rec Center, which is working on obtaining more grant funding, has reached over $1.5 million of the $2.5 million fundraising goal thanks to 250 donors. With $840,000 remaining, however, Pitkin County is considering becoming a donor, as well.
Commissioners were largely divided on where they would rank priority of the projects, with Commissioner Francie Jacober expressing support for the pool due to the fact that many Pitkin County residents and workers spend time or live in Carbondale.
“I think maybe we could do a little splitting up here,” Jacober said. “I think the Carbondale project will affect a lot of people, and a lot of them are from Pitkin County, so that would be my first choice.”
Commissioners Greg Poschman and Jeffrey Woodruff, however, expressed more reservations.
“Maybe we can put some money toward it in the coming years,” said Poschman. “And it’s not even in our county, is it? It’s down at Carbondale. We certainly like them and appreciate them, but it seems far afield to me. I was hoping we had a large pool of money, so we could help, but it doesn’t appear to be that way.”
The commissioners largely agreed that they wanted the Carbondale Rec Center to present to them, so they could consider it more formally.
According to Froelich, Cardonale Parks and Recreation Director Eric Brendlinger and Carbondale Town Manager Lauren Gister are planning on presenting to the BOCC in the coming weeks.
Carbondale sits primarily in Garfield County but is on the border of three counties, including Pitkin County, where many in Carbondale work and recreate.
