Twice in this century well-intentioned citizen-led initiatives to build a grand new municipal recreation center in Steamboat Springs have been unsuccessful in gaining the financial support of the broader community. In spite of the documented desire for such amenities as indoor swimming pools and public gymnasiums, efforts to build these facilities, which would have cost tens of millions of dollars, have never moved forward.

The latest ballot initiative to go to the voters was in 2007 when proponents sought funding for a $34 million rec center, which was ultimately rejected by almost 80 percent of the voters. And Steamboat Today has reported in the past that over the long term, the greatest cost of a municipal recreation center isn’t building it but staffing and maintaining it.

However, none of that means that our community doesn’t need expanded indoor recreational facilities. And that’s why we feel so fortunate that the nonprofit Old Town Hot Springs is raising the needed money to add 15,000 square feet to the existing 20,000-square-foot facility at the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Third Street in downtown Steamboat.

Read more at Steamboat Today.