(WIDEFIELD, Colo.) — Summer is in full swing and community members can now enjoy the new Widefield Recreation Center.
The $23.7 million recreation center is a first-of-its-kind for the district. The facility is open during normal operating hours, Monday through Friday, 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The 65,000-square-foot facility sits just down the road from Widefield Elementary School and features two stories filled with recreational amenities.
“Our three full-size courts can be used for pickleball, volleyball, and basketball or just open recreation,” Eric Hunlen, Director of Widefield Parks and Recreation explained. “We also have two large kitchen-equipped meeting rooms, a children’s center that we will use for preschool.”
The Widefield Parks and Recreation Department is the only one of its kind in Colorado that is owned, operated, and governed by a school district.
“Total cost was just under $24 million,” Hunlen said. “Those funds were put together through a savings from our department over the last ten years, in addition to a $19 million copy of certificates of participation that were sold in 2021.”
The department did not use any school district funds from their general budget and never asked the taxpayers in the community to give any additional funding. The new center allows the department to expand youth sports programs and the addition of arts and cultural classes.
Taxpayers who live within Widefield District 3 boundaries, regardless of whether they have children enrolled in school or not, will receive discounted memberships. District 3 staff will also receive additional discounts. The entire southern Colorado community can access the recreation center with a $7.50-day pass.
With the help of future funding, Widefield Parks and Recreation plans to add a 14,000-square-foot space for swimming pools at the new facility.
In a small town community, the recreation center is shared by all age groups eager to make some new memories.
“My experience being in this community is, it’s exciting,” explained Jake Reihl, Widefield community member. “I want my kids to be surrounded by the best things that the district can offer and the Parks and Recreation Department here is encouraging other kids from out of the city to come into Widefield to play, that means a lot.”
