Racquetball courts 3 and 4 at the Englewood Recreation Center are now changing rooms, one for men and one for women. Dry Aqua, a class built for the water, now meets in the gymnasium Tuesday through Friday at its usual time.
These workarounds started September 8, 2026, when the center's pool and locker rooms closed for construction. The city expects the work to finish in summer 2027. Pirates Cove is closed for its own rebuild, with reopening planned for the 2027 season. Englewood will not have a city-run pool until then, and the reason starts in the locker rooms.
The Showers Set the Schedule
The pool basin is getting only modest changes. According to the city's project FAQ, the depth will not change. The pool gets new gutter tile and a new deck around it. The heavier construction is everything around the water. The plan includes new men's, women's and universal locker rooms, a new lift to the second level, a kids slide, a hot tub, a cold plunge, a sauna, new hallway flooring and updated restrooms. The main project description lists a new steam room and spa, while the FAQ lists a sauna and cold plunge. The two pages use different terms for the heat features.
The city's FAQ explains why the pool couldn't stay open through construction:
"Arapahoe County health regulations require shower facilities for pool operations. Because the locker rooms and shower facilities are being renovated, the pool cannot operate during construction."
The city also says the project team had hoped to keep the pool open during design. Once a general contractor was selected and the plans were finished, that option raised safety concerns. Closing the pool for the whole project also cuts several months off the schedule. The closure lasts as long as the locker room rebuild does. The Universal Locker Room, formerly the Family Locker Room, is moving next to the other two locker rooms. It will still serve families with children, people who need a caregiver's help, and anyone who wants more privacy.
The renovation is estimated at $7,705,000. The city lists OLC and A.D. Miller Services as its partners on the work.
What the Building Offers Until Then
Most of the center keeps its normal hours: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends.
| Area | Status during construction |
|---|---|
| Weight room and cardio area | Open |
| Gymnasium | Open, and hosting Dry Aqua |
| Racquetball courts 1 and 2 | Open |
| Racquetball courts 3 and 4 | Temporary changing rooms |
| Classrooms and Zone Room | Open |
| Indoor track | Partly open, on a modified route |
| Pool and locker rooms | Closed until summer 2027 |
The track route changes because crews are building the new hot tub and cold plunge on the west side of the building. The restrooms near the front desk are still available. The Fall 2026 fitness schedule still lists in-person classes such as Chair Yoga, Essentrics, Nia, indoor cycling and TRX. It also flags some cancellations, so check the current schedule before you go.
The Pass Calendar Restarts Before the Pool Does
For members who mostly used the pool, the city offers two options during construction, a cancellation or a pause. The FAQ sets out these dates for a paused pass:
- August 30, 2026. Memberships pause and automatic payments stop.
- May 1, 2027. Paused memberships reactivate automatically.
- May 15, 2027. Monthly payments resume on the payment method on file.
The city projects that construction will finish in summer 2027, so paused passes are set to reactivate about two weeks before billing resumes, and possibly before the pool reopens. If you have questions about how those dates apply to your account, the Recreation Center is the place to ask. The FAQ also asks members whose payment method changes before May 2027 to contact the center before May 1.
Cancellation runs on a different schedule. A cancellation received by the first of the month stops that month's payment, which is charged on the 15th, and any unused months go back to the original payment method. Both options have the same catch. A paused or cancelled pass no longer gets you into the building for any use, and neither change can be reversed. If you want the weight room or the gym during the pause, you need a daily admission or a punch pass.
On the city's current fee page, adult daily admission is $5.25 for residents and $6.75 for nonresidents, and an adult 25-visit pass is $92.75 for residents and $115.75 for nonresidents. The page doesn't list any discount tied to the closure. Those prices already include a 5% increase that took effect January 2, 2026, which the city tied to operating costs well before construction began.
Pirates Cove Is Being Rebuilt at the Same Time
Englewood still has no summer outdoor pool to fall back on. Pirates Cove closed early for 2026, with its last day on August 9. In late September, the city's Pirates Cove project page reported heavy equipment on site, removing the concrete deck and demolishing the old competition pool. Demolition was nearly complete.
That pool's spot on the east end of the site is planned for a leisure pool, a pump house, two more slides and an event pavilion people can rent. The plan also includes water-efficiency upgrades, and the estimated cost is $6.3 million. BHA Design handled planning, and the city lists A.D. Miller as a partner on the construction. A.D. Miller is also working on the Recreation Center. The city says Pirates Cove will reopen for the 2027 season.
Both projects are paid for by the same bond. The city says Englewood voters approved $41.5 million for parks and recreation through the Renew & Recreate program. General obligation bonds require 85% of the work to be done within three years, so most of the projects are expected to be finished by 2028.
Where the Nearest Indoor Lanes Are
The Recreation Center's project pages don't announce an interim swim partner or a reciprocal pass with a nearby provider. South Suburban's pass terms describe access to its own district facilities and don't mention Englewood. South Suburban's Sheridan Recreation Center, the closest of its centers, doesn't list a pool among its amenities.
These public indoor pools are run by nearby providers:
- Douglas H. Buck Community Recreation Center, 2004 W. Powers Ave., Littleton. South Suburban lists lap lanes plus leisure and therapy pools.
- Goodson Recreation Center, 6315 S. University Blvd., Centennial. South Suburban lists an indoor pool.
- Athmar Recreation Center, 2680 W. Mexico Ave., Denver. Denver Parks & Recreation lists an indoor lap pool.
Lap swim times and admission rules vary by provider and change by season, so check each one's current schedule before you drive over.
The Bond Project That Opens This Month
One Renew & Recreate project is finishing this fall instead of starting. Emerson Park's roughly $600,000 renovation added new play features, trees, a wider sidewalk, landscaping, irrigation upgrades, a picnic shelter and a pergola. Goodbee and Associates and Elite Industries worked on the project. As of the city's September update, the work was nearly done. Only the pergola was left, and the grass and playground stayed open during that work.
The city's ribbon cutting is Saturday, October 17, at 10 a.m. at Emerson Park, 2929 S. Emerson St., with mid-morning coffee and a short ceremony. A week later, on October 24, Belleview Park Farm & Train at 5001 S. Inca Drive hosts Trunk or Treat Express from 1 to 6 p.m. Admission is $5 per person, and children under two get in free.
The pools are next in line. The city projects the Recreation Center pool will reopen in summer 2027, with the new kids slide and hot tub, and Pirates Cove's two new slides and leisure pool are planned for its 2027 season.
New locker rooms, a lift, a rebuilt Pirates Cove and a finished Emerson Park are the kinds of neighborhood investments that come up when Englewood homes change hands. If you're curious how projects like these fit into your home's place in the market, REBL Home Team tracks them block by block. See your home's value now.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
