Park City to reopen PC MARC pools with First Splash celebration

Park City reopened the PC MARC’s outdoor pools Saturday with a First Splash celebration at 1200 Little Kate Road, turning a long-delayed capital project into a public payoff for swimmers, families and lap swimmers alike. The renovated aquatic area now gives the city a 25-meter, eight-lane lap pool, a recreation pool with zero-depth entry and a climbing wall, plus a hot tub.

The rebuild was not just about fresh concrete and new finishes. City staff said the old lap pool dated to 1990 and the recreation pool to 2003, and both had reached the point where aging infrastructure and maintenance problems, including broken pipes, were driving the need for replacement. The aquatics portion of the project was estimated at $9 million, a significant investment for a facility that serves far more than casual summer recreation.

Park City’s broader plan for the PC MARC shows that the pools were only one part of the work. The project also includes a 14,000-square-foot expansion of cardio and fitness space, reinforcing the center’s role as a year-round community hub rather than a single-use amenity. City recreation officials have described the PC MARC as a public drop-in facility with fitness, courts and other recreation features, which makes the pool rebuild part of a larger effort to meet demand across multiple activities.

The city moved steadily toward reopening after Park City Council approved funding in 2023, then awarded the construction contract to Northridge Construction in March 2025. Work began the following month. By May 2026, city officials said the pools were nearly ready and water was expected to go in that week, setting up the June 6 reopening. Public support appeared strong throughout the process, with a 2024 survey finding 83% support among roughly 100 responses.

Saturday’s opening was designed to feel more like a community kickoff than a formal ceremony. Park City Municipal planned live DJ music, local food trucks, swag giveaways and family-friendly activities to mark the reopening, while Park City Recreation also promoted a one-day summer pass sale tied to the event. For residents, the result is straightforward: a major recreation asset is back in service, with more capacity for lap swimming, more room for families and a modernized pool complex meant to handle the city’s summer demand better than the old one did.