The long awaited update to the Old Town Hot Springs pool area is one step closer to completion, though the official opening date remains unclear. 

Last week, the new pools were plastered and filled with water for the curing process in preparation for an opening this summer.

“All of the new pools will be filled with our natural Heart Spring water when they open,” said Sarah Konopka, marketing director for Old Town Hot Springs.

What’s new?

Once the project is complete, Old Town Hot Springs will have a new lap pool, community pool, hot pool and kiddie splash area: 

• Lap Pool — USA Swimming regulation 25-yard, eight-lane lap pool with gutters and a diving board. The lap pool will be able to host youth competitions.
• Hot Pool — A hot soaking pool, complete with a wraparound bench, to support the growing demand for the existing hot pools.
• Community Pool — A shallow-depth lap pool for swim lessons, aquatic therapy, low-impact exercise and aquatic group exercise classes. The community pool also has a lift chair, making it compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. 
• Kiddie Splash Pool — A zero-depth play area with slides, interactive splash fixtures and shade for families.

“The idea with this pool is we can do so many things,” Konopka said, adding that there will be plenty of programming for swimmers of all ages and abilities in the community pool.

The complex will also feature a renovated deck area, complete with lounge chairs and tables, as well as a newly paved parking area on the south side of the complex along U.S. Highway 40.

Old Town Hot Springs originally launched the “It’s in the Water” capital campaign to raise funds for this project in 2020. At the time, the project was estimated to cost $6 million and be completed by summer 2023. 

The campaign has since grown to a $10 million goal and was pushed to summer 2025 due to two significant roadblocks. 

The first obstacle involved extensive excavation and demolition work that was originally unplanned but was required to ensure a long-lasting pool structure. 

The second challenge came about when the project’s pool builder underwent a corporate merger and organizational restructuring, which paused all construction efforts.

The previous lap pool had been constructed in the 1960s and had not been renovated since the 1980s. 

The lap pool was so old, some of the parts were failing and could not be replaced because they were no longer being manufactured. The project broke ground on the new pump house in fall 2022 and lap pool reconstruction began in September 2023.

As Routt County’s only public swimming pool, Old Town Hot Springs determined the construction timeline was worth it to “ensure that there is a public swimming pool for generations to come.”