Silverthorne rec center future: expand, market, raise fees?

SILVERTHORNE — More classes, better marketing, higher fees, renovations and even expansions — this may be the future of Silverthore's recreation and culture department.

After months of time-consuming inquiry into ideas for improving town recreation, Silverthorne staff reached its project apogee — final recommendations for town council and a green light to start improvements.

“This is a tool, a recommendation,” said John Barnholt, GreenPlay's senior project consultant, at Wednesday's town meeting. “Deviation is OK.”

Silverthorne hired GreenPlay LLC, a Broomfield company, earlier this year to make goals and priorities for the recreation program through surveys and focus groups.

To achieve GreenPlay's goals, Barnholt suggested that council empower its rec staff to carry out projects, prioritize and set deadlines. He also said Joanne Breigenzer, Silverthorne's recreation director, should be named “champion of the cause.”

“Some goals have costs and are a long-term priority,” Breigenzer said. “Lots of things staff is ready to get moving on right away.”

Short-term goals?

Though most people surveyed about the Silverthorne recreation department are happy with its facilities and programs, GreenPlay LLC consultants came up with new ways to better service locals and visitors.

According to Barnholt, Silverthorne's recreation department has seen tremendous growth in participation, an increased demand for programs and limits on expansion options.

To combat challenges, Barnholt suggested raising admission fees and/or in-demand program fees to increase revenues for the recreation department. He also said the town should figure out if rec programs could be held at the Silverthorne Pavilion to free up space, start early morning and weekend rec classes, create partnerships (e.g.: with the Summit County School District) and research new programs that could bring in more people.

And, limitations for program expansion means the rec department needs to be sure current programs are desired by the community.

GreenPlay consultants additionally researched ways to make the Silverthorne Pavilion a popular place to use.

Challenges for the town's pavilion include a lack of identity — Barnholt said most people surveyed don't know what happens there — competition by other towns and determining what types of activities would do well at that location.

Creating a beefed-up marketing plan for the pavilion was GreenPlay's number one recommendation. Barnholt said the town needs to improve marketing to distinguish the pavilion, and meet outstanding community needs with new activities. He also suggested raising rental costs for the facility to be on a par with the rest of Summit County and Denver.

Long-term goals

Long-term goals for Silverthorne's recreation department include renovations to its existing space and expansions to allow for increased programs.

Consultant suggestions posed two options for the recreation center — one recommendation pointed out ways to use spaces in different ways within the current building and another gave ways to add onto the building.

Suggested renovations include switching up the community room for recreation and youth activities, converting racquet ball courts for more cardio space (or almost anything), converting the free-weight room to a cycling room, energy-efficiency alterations and locker room improvements.

Other long-term improvements included expansion options — an indoor playground, multi-purpose space, a new gym, an expanded track, a rehabilitation room and a therapeutic pool were identified as additional amenities locals want.

Consultants also said the town should consider creating more office space on the main level of the rec center, instead of having its employees work from the basement.

With so much information to ingest, council's next step is to meet at a future work session to discuss GreenPlay's findings.

“It will take us a little while to absorb all this,” said Vince Lanuza, a councilman.

Caitlin Row can be reached at (970) 668-4633 or at crow@summitdaily.com.