Frequently Asked Questions

  • Not a property tax. Not a mill levy.

    A 2.25% tourism excise tax on ticket sales for amusement and scenic rides, recreational excursions, and attractions.

    NOT Festivals (examples: Whitewater or Harvest Fest), NOT Rodeos, NOT car shows, NOT movie tickets, NOT golf courses, NOT craft fairs

    This percentage cannot be increased or applied to additional categories without a vote of the people.

    Local businesses don’t pay the tax—they simply collect it, just like sales tax.

    The excise tax will be paid by anyone purchasing a ticket to local attractions. While many visitors will help contribute, local residents who buy tickets to these attractions will also pay the tax.

    Example: On a $100 ticket, only $2.25 would be added as an excise tax for the pool. This small fee generates the revenue needed to cover about half of the pool’s operating costs. The other half comes from user fees and memberships. Combined, this ensures our community pool can stay open year-round. The city has reviewed the measure and is confident in the legality of the proposed excise tax.

    If there are excess excise tax dollars, they will be held in a fund separate from the City’s General Fund. These funds may allow the City to start saving for the pool replacement, if approved through the City's public budget process.

  • The owner of the Royal Gorge Route Railroad claims they are.  However, the legal opinion from the City of Cañon City and Cañon City Area Recreation and Park District does not agree with the train.

    The City has reviewed the measure and is confident in the legality of the proposed excise tax as applied to the railroad.

  • If 2B passes, the Excise Tax is collected starting January 1, 2026.  An injunction could be filed, but the courts would have to decide if the tax collection would have to stop.  Without an injunction the tax would be collected. 

  • No, however, Royal Gorge Bridge has agreed to pay a 2.25% Tourism Fee if 2B passes. 

    The Royal Gorge Bridge and Park is owned by the City but it is outside of City limits for the excise tax.

  • Last year, voters approved the construction of both an indoor pool and an outdoor pool facility.

  • In 2024 the Recreation District provided multiple options for the community to consider before going to the ballot.  During this process, the community preferred an option that included year-round operations rather than a three-month seasonal facility.  In the November election this plan was approved by voters.  Going back on this plan would mean not following through on what was promised to the voters in the 2024 ballot language.

  • No. What is being proposed through community feedback is an indoor/outdoor combination facility. This creates year-round use. By no means is it extravagant. The design is a standard, modern pool facility being constructed today in communities our size all over America. Our design is standard for basic community public pools today. To learn more, visit our Vision page.

  • Yes.

    • Daily admission: youth, senior, and adult rates

    • Membership options: annual, 3-month, and punch passes

    Yes. Fees are set with the community in mind, keeping access affordable—just $6 for youth and seniors and $8 for adults. Admission includes access to the indoor pool and, in the summer, the outdoor pool. Memberships (annual, 3-month, and punch passes) offer even greater value for frequent users.

    Like nearly all public pools, there will be daily admission fees and memberships to help cover operating costs. Fees will be affordable and set with our community’s needs in mind—Cañon City has a higher-than-average percentage of families below the poverty line, so prices must be accessible.

    District residents will pay lower rates than non-residents for daily and punch passes, as local tax dollars funded the facility's construction. The goal is simple: a community pool that everyone can use and enjoy, not an exclusive club.

  • Yes.  Some of the programs include exercise classes, lap swimming, open swim sessions, and adult learn to swim classes.  There will also be an opportunity for more competitive training in open water swimming, masters swimming, and triathlons. 

  • The Rec District will apply for Silver Sneakers and similar Advantage programs so seniors can use those benefits here.

  • Public pools are designed as a community service, not a money-maker. Entry fees must stay affordable for local families, which means they can never fully cover operating costs. In fact, only a handful of U.S. facilities—large water parks like Water World—are profitable.

    Like most communities, Cañon City’s old Icabone Pool was subsidized by $40,000–$50,000 each year, and neighboring towns such as Florence, Pueblo, and Woodland Park also rely on local government support to keep their pools open. A subsidy is simply part of what it takes to operate a safe, accessible public pool.

  • For the proforma in 2024, it took a very high-level view of the operations.  It accounted for just one full-time employee and around 35 part-time employees, a very tight number based on budgeted hours of operation.  It also used preliminary figures for operations in 2026, not 2028 The 2024 proforma was based on a pool program concept, not something more defined. 

     

    Fast forward one year, and the pool program is in the design document phase.  The economy has changed as have some of the prices for pool operations.  We have accounted three additional full-time staff and slightly bumped up wages to account for the projected 2028 minimum wages, and to fully staff the hours of operation. If you account for inflation, the proposed expenses and overall operational plan are very similar to other facilities, such as Woodland Park.    

  • Commercial pools are complex facilities that require specialized construction. Costs have risen sharply from about $200 per square foot in 2014 to around $480 in 2024, and projections show they could exceed $770 by 2034. Indoor pools are even higher, at more than $800 per square foot, because they require special materials, HVAC systems, humidity controls, and larger support spaces.

    On top of that, pools must meet strict building codes (ADA, state health codes, and more) and there are only a limited number of firms nationwide that design and build them, which increases costs further.

    While expensive, the proposed Cañon City pool is in line with what similar communities across Colorado and the U.S. are building. Unfortunately, costs will only continue to rise over time, making it more important to act now.

  • The proposed facility would be located where the existing Icabone Swimming Pool is located: 12th and College in Cañon City. The City would vacate the north part of 12th Street between the pool and the front lawn of the high school. Cañon City Schools is donating land in front of the high school so the pool footprint can expand, and a parking lot can be added. In surveys, the community overwhelmingly wanted the location of the pool to remain where it is; thanks to our fellow government partners, we have been able to make this happen. The community made their voice heard and we listened.

  • The pool will be located at the current address of the Icabone Swimming Pool, 1131 College Avenue.  The Abbey site was explored but through survey work with the community, it was clearly not the preferred location. Without question, the most popular location for the pool is the current site.  That is where it will remain.  The District offices will not be moved to the pool, and will remain at 575 Ash Street.

  • The effort has been a true partnership. After the Icabone Pool closed in 2023, the City of Cañon City, the Recreation District, and local businesses worked together on a feasibility study to determine the community’s needs. Cañon City Schools joined by donating land for parking, committing to high school swim teams, and planning to use the pool for PE classes and lessons. Fremont County also pledged $100,000 in ARPA funds toward construction if voters approved.

    In short, local government, schools, businesses, and residents have all come together to make this new pool a reality.

  • From the very beginning, this project has been about the community. Every major decision has been shaped by citizen input—not government mandates.

    During the feasibility study, residents guided the direction of the project:

    • 8,284 unique visitors engaged with the study website, completing three surveys and leaving comments.

    • 1,027 registered voters participated in a scientific survey conducted by Magellan Strategies.

    • 70 residents joined small stakeholder groups representing supporters, opponents, and undecided voices—one of the most balanced groups consultants had ever seen.

    • 350 people attended public presentations.

    • A 12-member citizen committee reviewed data and represented community interests.

    • Outreach included newspaper stories, radio interviews, seven informational videos, and extensive social media engagement—200,000+ impressions and nearly 800 comments across platforms.

    This robust input made it clear the community preferred a year-round pool at the historic Icabone site.

    Public involvement has continued through the Schematic Design (SD) and Design Development (DD) phases. Open houses and design workshops have given residents the chance to weigh in on layout, features, and amenities, from swim lesson space to senior programming. Each stage has incorporated feedback so the final design reflects what Cañon City citizens asked for: a practical, modern pool for all ages.

    At every step, the community has led, and local government has listened.

  • Great question! Visit our Get Involved page for resources.

  • The estimated opening is Fall of 2027, if 2B passes in November.

  • The entire amount of pool operations is not being subsidized.  In fact, that has never been proposed.  Publicly owned pools are normally subsidized around 50%.  This means 50% of the operations are paid through the revenue generated at the pool, including open swim fees, pool passes, swim lessons, rentals, concessions, etc.  The remaining 50% is covered by a subsidy.  Public pools are a service and not designed to get to 100% cost recovery. Because it is a public facility, the goal is to offer affordable rates to meet the socioeconomic needs of the community. 

  • There are several communities with this type of tax and here are just a few examples.  Manitou Springs currently has a 5% excise tax on tourism related activities.  Breckenridge and Vail both have excise taxes on lift tickets and a few more ski resorts will be added to this list in 2025/2026. Branson, Missouri has a tourism related excise tax, and their tourist train is included in this tax.  It does exist in numerous communities and information is readily available online.

  • There will be three full-time employees and between 35 and 40 part time staff members. 

  • The cost to construct commercial public pools continues to escalate at a rate higher than inflation.  Currently these facilities are seeing anywhere from an eight to ten percent year over year increase in capital construction costs.  If we even wait another year, the Recreation District will not be able to construct the facility as proposed because it will cost too much. 

     

    The other issue is time. If the pool operations question would have passed in 2024, we would have been able to open a facility in late 2026.  Now we are looking at an opening in the summer/fall of 2027.  This delay would add another $2 to $3 million to the project’s price tag, and the facility would not be able to move forward as proposed.

  • The Recreation District will generate revenue in a multitude of ways.  There are daily rates to use the pool, season passes, punch passes, swim lessons, exercise classes, party room rentals, pool rentals, swim meets, swim practices, and concessions.  These are just some of the ways revenue will be generated.  This is no different than how the Icabone Swimming Pool operated for 56 years. 

  • The school district will have both boys and girls swimming teams for the high school.  There is no middle school swimming program in Colorado.  However, all school age children will have an opportunity to participate in competitive swimming with the local Piranhas Swim Team.  It is not uncommon to see year-round competitive programs for kids age 5 to 18 in communities with year-round facilities.

  • Grants for commercial public pool construction and operations are very limited.  The Recreation District has looked at Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) Grants for the facility.  We are limited to a $2 million request and traditionally if they support a pool it is at a level under $1 million.  That is not even 5% of the project budget.  We applied for a Land Water Conservation Fund Grant through Colorado Parks and Wildlife and were denied in large part because the community did not fund the operations of the facility.  This grant is also funded federally through the National Parks Service and unfortunately those funds are no longer available.  Those are just two examples.  We have explored numerous grants and none of them support capital construction or operations of community pools.  There simply are not many options available when it comes to grant funding.

  • Yes, they did plan for it.  The Recreation District asked the voters to approve operational funding for the proposed facility in 2024 via a mill levy increase.  The voters said no to the property tax increase but passed the capital construction of the facility.  Now the District is making plans for capital construction, but it is not actually breaking ground unless operational funding is approved.  Multiple options were explored and by July it was determined there were two possibilities, a mill levy increase or an excise tax.  After weighing both options, it was determined the excise tax was the most likely to pass, so that is what will be on the ballot in November of 2025.  Operational funding has always been a concern and that is why ground has not been broken. 

  • Since this process began with the Feasibility Study in 2024 and continued with the more formal design process in 2025, the Recreation District has worked closely with the City of Cañon City and Cañon City Schools.  To address the needs and desires of the community, the current design process considered the work completed during the feasibility process, public meetings, stakeholder groups, and focus groups.  All concepts and directions were provided by the community and provided the design team guidance for moving forward.   

  • Cañon City Schools is committed to responsibly using its funds and grants to support its core mission—educating students. The district’s capital and grant resources, including Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) funds, are restricted for school-related facilities and educational purposes only.  BEST dollars, for example, can only be used for projects that directly enhance student learning environments, such as classrooms, roofs, HVAC systems, and safety improvements. These funds cannot be used to construct or operate community recreation facilities like a pool.  Additionally, the district’s general budget is funded primarily through state and local tax dollars allocated for instructional programs, staff, transportation, and student services. Using those funds for a community pool would not be permissible under state law and would divert critical resources away from classrooms.  While the district supports and recognizes the community’s desire for a pool and supports efforts to make it a reality, Cañon City Schools is not in the pool business. That role appropriately belongs to the Cañon City Area Recreation and Park District, which remains committed to donating land to help make this dream a reality for our community.

  • The voters in November of 2024 said they were not in favor of a property tax increase for both pool and District operations.  The District was asked to find another way to fund pool operations. Information the District received from pollsters showed a property tax measure was not likely to pass.  Numerous options were considered early in 2025, but they were not legally possible.  In July of 2025 an excise tax was presented as an option for pool funding.  That left two choices on the table, and the Recreation District Boad of Directors and City Council decided to move forward with the excise tax option.  It places more of the burden on tourists and less on property owners.