Following rower concerns, Boulder reduces after-hours Boulder Reservoir fee hike

Mar. 27—Rowing clubs that use Boulder Reservoir successfully lobbied the city to reduce a rental rate hike for their early morning practice times, saying the initial increase was so high it threatened to drive the non-profit adult and student clubs out of business.

The city initially proposed raising the before- and after-hours fee from $100 an hour last season to $297 an hour this season.

"We're happy to pay what we need to pay for services, but this was so astronomical," said Susan Adams, a Boulder Community Rowing board member.

Boulder Community Rowing, its offshoot teen club Colorado Junior Crew and the University of Colorado Boulder's crew are the main rowing groups using the reservoir. Adams said the groups need practice hours early in the morning and later in the evening, outside regular public hours, to accommodate students and working adult schedules.

Rowers spoke at a City Council meeting earlier this month, prompting Boulder Mayor Aaron Brockett to ask to hear more about their concerns and Council Member Nicole Speer to ask city staff members to look into the issue quickly enough for the organizations to sign contracts needed for their programs.

Responding to the concerns, Parks and Recreation staff members analyzed expenses and have reduced the after-hours rates to better reflect the usage costs, Deputy Director Scott Schuttenberg said. A letter explaining the changes and answering rate questions was sent to user organizations Monday.

"We want to make sure we are providing fair and equitable access to the reservoir," Schuttenberg said.

He said the city began raising user group rental fees because the fees weren't fully covering the costs of services.

"Historically, these groups were heavily subsidized by the reservoir," he said. "We're trying to get caught up, where they are really self sufficient."

In 2021, the city calculated the cost per hour to operate the reservoir at $285 an hour, and user groups agreed to a 2022 pilot that raised the per-hour fee to $100 for after-hours access. As a youth organization, Colorado Junior Crew was charged $85 an hour.

For the upcoming season, he said, the city initially calculated the hourly after-hours fee as $371 an hour, based on the total yearly operating cost of about $1.4 million. The city planned to offer a one-year, 25% discount for adult groups, bringing the fee to $279 an hour, and a one-year discount to youth groups of 40%, for a fee of $223 an hour.

But after hearing concerns about such a large increase from the previous year, staff members adjusted the operating cost calculations, removing costs associated with high season expenses, such as summer swim beach lifeguards, he said. Costs for staffing and services not needed by the user groups also were removed.

The new after-hours rental fee for the 2023 season is $203 an hour for adult groups and $162 an hour for youth groups. Both rates include a subsidy to offset the full $271 cost, according to the city, and the adult program subsidy won't be offered in 2024.

"User groups are only paying for direct expenses and services for which they benefit," Schuttenberg wrote in an email.

Adams, of Boulder Community Rowing, said that while the fee is still significantly higher than in previous years, she appreciated the city looking more closely at the actual costs for after-hours users. She noted rowers use few resources, while the clubs provide a community benefit by offering an outdoor fitness and wellness program.

"I hope this $203 price would continue for the foreseeable future," she said.