The Recreation District Community Pool Project has gone back to the drawing board

 

On June 9, 2026 the Cañon City Area Recreation and Park District Board of Directors decided to not move forward with pool construction at the Board Meeting.  By a 3-2 vote it was decided to let the current plan go and move back to square one.  The Board called it a heartbreaking decision.  The reason for the decision was the lack of operational funding, which was not secured by two separate votes of the people or through existing government budgets.  On June 1, 2026 the Cañon City Council decided to no longer participate in the planning, financing, development, construction, operation, or maintenance of the proposed recreation district pool project.  With no dedicated operational funding, the District felt it would be irresponsible to construct a pool.  

In November of 2024 the community approved capital construction for an indoor and an outdoor pool at the former Icabone Pool site.  While operational funding through a mill levy increase was not approved, the community’s support for authorizing new debt indicated interest in moving the pool project forward.  In November of 2025, the Recreation District and City of Cañon City put forth an Excise Tax question to pay for operational funding.  This was voted down by 9.32%.   These results meant the District would be able to build a pool, but not operate it.  

With the decisions by both the Board of Directors and City Council, a pool will not be constructed and it will be up to the City and the voters to determine what happens next with the .3% sales tax.  

Community Pool Timeline

• May 2023: R.C. Icabone Pool closes after 56 years
• 2024: Feasibility Study Completed by OLC Architects for Replacement Pool
• 2024: Public input & stakeholders develop new, preliminary pool program
• November 2024: 2A & 6B for Capital Construction Pass, 6A for Operations Failed
• February 2025: Wember approved as the Owner's Representative for the pool project
• May 2025: Barker Rinker Seacat approved as the architect of the pool 
• June 2025: GH Phipps approved as the Construction Manager at Risk
• November 4, 2025: Excise Tax for pool operations failed 
• February 2026: City of Cañon City forms a Pool Committee to explore pool operational funding
• June 1, 2026: City Council decided the City of Cañon City will no longer participate in the planning, financing, development, constrcution, oepration, or maintenance of the proposed Recreation District Pool Project.
• June 9, 2026: Recreation District Board of Directors voted 3-2 to go back to the drawing board to replace the closed Icabone Swimming Pool.  The Board said they will look at options down the road to address the swimming pool.  The Cañon City Council will now determine what happens with the .3% sales tax for pool construction.

Below are examples of what the pool site would have looked like as of October 7, 2025.  This will most likely change because construction did not begin in 2026 due to the lack of operational funding following the election.

The image below is a base pool program,

The image below shows the pool program plan as of October 7, 2025 with alternates.  Please know the base program includesd he indoor lap pool and the leisure outdoor pool.  If funding allowed we hoped to include a program pool (smaller indoor pool on the northeast corner of the building) and an outdoor slide.  Those are shown with a red outline and not a part of the base plan.  They are alternates and only available if funding allows.  Alternates are used as additional funding becomes available through the preconstruction process and potential grants or donations.