December 16th 2021 | Issue 006: In Our Parks Newsletter
The Denver Park Trust, in partnership with Denver Parks and Recreation and Game Plan for a Healthy City, is bringing you a newsletter featuring stories, surveys, events and more in and about Denver’s parks.
Denver Parks and Recreation Want to Know What Gets Community Members Outside
Recently, Denver Parks and Recreation (DPR) invited the public to participate in a community process to develop an Outdoor Adventure and Alternative Sports Master Plan. This plan builds upon the vision in Game Plan for a Healthy City to create diverse and innovative spaces where Denverites can recreate outdoors. DPR reached out to community members via a public input survey, as well as a virtual meeting to find out what programs and activities they imagined for outdoor adventure and alternative sports within Denver and the mountain parks.
You might be asking yourself, what are “outdoor adventure and alternative sports”? Outdoor adventure and alternative sports are activities that meet certain criteria such as non-traditional emerging sports, activities that engage individuals with the outdoors and activities that represent a quintessential Colorado Outdoor experience, to name a few.
DPR is committed to a community informed process focused on equity. The Outdoor Adventure and Alternative Sports Plan’s vision, goals and outcomes will be informed by community input, a Technical Advisory Committee, and the Denver Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. Stay tuned for future outreach efforts that may include online engagement tools such as surveys; focus groups and roundtable discussions; and virtual public meetings and presentations. Visit here for more information about the Outdoor Adventure and Alternative Sports Master Plan.
All Denver Recreation Centers Return to Full Operating Hours and Promote an Active and Healthy Community
As part of the Recreation Center Reopening Plan, all Denver Recreation Centers have returned to pre-COVID operating hours, prompting residents to make the most of fall and winter by maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle. Registration for winter recreation activities remains open. Many popular activities such as pickleball, swim lessons, vinyasa yoga, snowshoe trips, kickboxing and pottery offer residents plenty of choices to stay active in the colder months.
“Denver recreation centers provide numerous opportunities to engage in a healthy lifestyle through fitness and educational activities,” said Happy Haynes, Executive Director of Denver Parks and Recreation. “We are proud to provide communities with quality amenities and healthy recreation opportunities in neighborhoods throughout the city.”
Recreation Center memberships are available for sale in-person and online. Three recreation center membership levels are available: Regional, Local and Neighborhood. Thesetiers are based on the amenities offered and the hours of operation at each location. All memberships include access to recreation centers, drop-in fitness and aqua fitness classes, plus access to all outdoor pools during the summer months.
Recreation Center Membership is free to Denver students, ages 5 – 18, through the MY Denver Card and MY Denver Prime for residents 60 and up. In addition, all residents within the 80216-zip code are eligible to receive a 90% discount on registrations and memberships. Residents can register for this discount at the Johnson, Swansea and 5090 Broadway Recreation Centers. Additional information on membership options, activities, programming, and other resources are available at denvergov.org/Recreation.
Providing the community health and wellness opportunities is part of Denver Parks and Recreation’s Game Plan for a Healthy City to ensure every person has access to safe facilities and dynamic programming.
It is important to show nature you care. Follow these 4 simple practices from our friends at Leave No Trace