Laramie Recreation Center lap pool faces closure after heater fails

The Laramie Community Recreation Center’s eight-lane lap pool at 406 Ivinson Avenue faced closure after its heater failed unexpectedly, disrupting the routines of lap swimmers, seniors, rehab users, swim teams and parents who rely on the water for scheduled exercise.

The problem hit the part of the aquatics center built for structure, not casual play. The lap pool is where Laramie residents go for lap swim, therapy swim, water aerobics and training sessions that depend on predictable water temperature and lane access. When the heater went out, the pool was no longer just uncomfortable; it became a service interruption for people who had counted on a set workout, a rehab session or a lesson slot.

The city says the recreation center’s aquatics program includes three pools, an indoor leisure pool, an outdoor leisure pool and the eight-lane lap pool. It also offers open swim, tot swim, lap swim, American Red Cross swim lessons, therapy swim and water aerobics. Pool time is organized in blocks for specific activities, and the city warns that pool hours are not the same as recreation center hours, meaning a closure in one part of the aquatics schedule can quickly spill into the rest of the day’s programming.

That matters for a paying customer base. The city lists adult daily admission at $7.25 and adult monthly membership at $38, with senior daily admission at $5.00. For regular users, that means a heater failure can erase a planned workout or force a scramble for another form of exercise until repairs are finished. The aquatics page also says an aquatic wheelchair and aquatic lift are available, underscoring how many different users depend on the pool and adjacent water spaces.

The timing also comes after the city already invested in the facility. City bid records show a Laramie Community Recreation Center Indoor Leisure Pool Improvement Project Phase 1 in 2023, and the Laramie City Council approved a $433,500 award for that work on July 18, 2023. With another heater problem now cutting into access, the recreation center’s pool schedule once again has become a daily-life disruption for Albany County residents who use it for health, rehabilitation and routine.