DENVER — Residents in the Curtis Park neighborhood are entering another summer without access to a pool in their neighborhood.
Denver Parks and Recreation said the Mestizo-Curtis Park pool and pool house were beyond their useful life and require a full replacement, adding that the pool is planned to reopen the summer of 2028.
For residents in the area, another summer without a pool is detrimental.
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“The entire neighborhood has been without a pool for going on four years,” said Aurelio Martinez, a Curtis Park resident and one of the co-founders of the Mestizo-Cutris Park Community Coalition.
Martinez and other founders of the community coalition, like Rosalie Cisneros, are urging residents to attend Denver Parks and Rec’s open house for their recreation centers and pools Tuesday night.
Cisneros shared firsthand how the lack of an accessible community swimming pool has affected her and her family.
“Last year I had a little tote, and my put my six year old grandson, he sat in there with water, because that was his pool, because there's no pool here to bring him, you know. So, I mean, it's horrible,” Cisneros said. “We're gonna have these kids have nowhere to go. You go to Glenmarm Park, but Glenarm Center, but it's an indoor, so I mean, kids ain't gonna want to do that."
“It's like neighborhoods that have minority kids in it, or families, we get the short end of the stick, that's the bottom line, you get the short end of the stick,” she added.
Cisneros also emphasized that some families don’t have transportation to take their children to other pools, which is the same concern Denver7 heard from residents in the Sunnyside neighborhood after the Aztlan pool was closed.
Some of the closest outdoor Denver Parks and Rec pools are the La Alma outdoor pool, Congress Park outdoor pool, and the Globeville/Argo outdoor pool.
All are about 2 to 3 miles away and could be about a 10 minute drive or about an hour walk.
Martinez and Cisneros shared that one of their recent milestones in the discussion surrounding this pool with the city was advocating for the pool to be 50 meters rather than a 25-meter pool that was presented by Denver Parks and Rec.
They said while they're happy with that development, they're still fighting for some changes with the design, like the entrance of the pool being along 32nd street, which they say is a dangerous street.
Denver Parks and Rec said in a statement that the existing pool and pool house "are beyond their useful life and require a full replacement."
"The project is following the standard multi‑year design and construction timeline required for a project of this type. This includes comprehensive community engagement to ensure the new design reflects neighborhood priorities and accommodates the required historic landmark review and approval process," the statement said.
Community engagement and design are ongoing through the end of 2026, and the pool is set to reopen in 2028, per DPR officials.
"The timeline for the Mestizo pool project has evolved as DPR has prioritized opportunities to engage with residents, listen to community perspectives, and incorporate that feedback into project planning," a DPR spokesperson said in a statement in response to follow-up questions. "This approach is intended to help ensure that future investments reflect community needs and create lasting value for the neighborhood."
DPR does have a Frequently Asked Questions page posted online about the project.
"Unexpected facility closures, such as those affecting the Mestizo-Curtis and Aztlan pools, are challenging for both residents and DPR," the statement said. "While these situations are often complex, DPR remains committed to working closely with the community to deliver aquatic facilities that meet current needs and serve residents for generations to come."
The open house is scheduled for Tuesday night at 5 p.m. at the Washington Park Recreation Center.
