The Bennett Park and Recreation District (BPRD) is a Special District that provides local residents with recreational services, including youth and adult sports leagues, fitness classes, aquatics programs, and more. The BPRD has a weight room, large gymnasium, small fitness room, junior Olympic-sized pool, toddler pool, continuous pool, steam rooms, and locker rooms; all of which are available for use by the public.
BPRD is open to all I-70 corridor residents. Please see the home page for hours of operation. It is located at 455 S. First St., Bennett CO 80102.
Special districts are a form of local government created to provide certain municipal-type services in unincorporated or rural areas of the state. The legal structure of special districts was recognized by an authorizing act of the Colorado General Assembly in 1949. The General Assembly declared that special local government service districts could be created to provide necessary and desired services within designated boundaries. For more information about special districts, please ask at the front desk for a copy of the “Citizens Guide to Special Districts.”
As a special district, the BPRD has no financial affiliation with the Town of Bennett. The District is financially independent and is run by an elected board. It operates with limited tax dollars obtained from a property tax designated for the district. For every property appraised at a $100,000 value, the District receives a total of (approximately) $70.00. $30 of the $70 is earmarked for operations. The remainder is allocated for the Bond fund. The BPRD’s boundaries are smaller than those of the Town, the Bennett School District, and the Bennett Fire Protection District. The BPRD is located within the immediate town of Bennett, on the Adams County side only. As a result, when a resident lives on the Arapahoe County side of Bennett, they are charged out-of-district rates.
Because the BPRD is a special district, its funding is limited. This has not only forced BPRD staff to become very creative when setting up leagues and programs, but, in many instances, forced the District to pass some costs on to users and residents. This is why it has been so important to have the financial support of local businesses and generous donors. Without their kindness and charitable donations, the BPRD would not be able to offer the programs that it does.
The Bennett Park and Recreation District (BPRD) story began in 2000 when four local residents decided to form a recreation center for their town and community. They spent the next two years working on the formation of a board and establishing the recreation center as a special district.
In 2002, local voters approved a 1.8 million bond to build the BPRD center and set aside the minimal amount needed to initially fund operations.
Although plans for the District continued to develop from 2002 to 2007, the recession and the associated quadrupling of construction costs reduced its scope from two soccer fields, a gymnasium, weight room, small gym, and a pool to a large gymnasium, a pair of locker rooms, a small fitness room, and a weight room.
In the fall of 2007, the BPRD opened to the public.
Because the Board wanted to complete the vision voters approved in 2002, it decided to continue construction in two phases. Phase I was built using the initial bond and was completed in 2007. It included a large gymnasium, locker rooms, small fitness room, and a weight room. Phase II was built with a $2 million grant from Adams County Open Space. It was finished in 2010. Phase II consisted of the addition of a junior Olympic-sized pool, toddler pool, continuous pool, and steam rooms.
For more information about special districts or how you can donate to the Bennett Park and Recreation District, please contact the BPRD by phone at 303.644.5040 or by mail at Bennett Park and Recreation District, 455 S. First St., Bennett, CO 80136.