High-altitude aerobics.

• Author: MCCREREY, LINDA
• Position: Brief Article

The Apex Center in Arvada houses two full-sized ice-skating rinks, an indoor aquatics park, a rock climbing wall, three gymnasiums, an indoor track, waterfalls, weight rooms, party rooms, a teen center with computer lab, an arcade, a lounge area, and a coffee bistro; it offers exercise and wellness classes, massage services, arts-and-crafts programs, personal trainers and child care.

The North Jeffco Park and Recreation District facility is the latest, most extravagant example of the multi-activity public recreation facility, setting a new standard with its mining-themed decor, outdoor colors and sheer size.

At 168,000 square feet, it's big, it's deluxe and it's not your father's YMCA. It also is cheap ($4.50 per visit for residents), subsidized by taxpayers and expected to make money. But that doesn't make it unusual -- at least in Colorado.

The state has been a national leader in public recreation centers for 20 years. Over the past decade, 15 mega-sized rec centers have opened in the state: in Thornton, Wheat Ridge, Westminster, Golden, Lafayette, Highlands Ranch, Parker, East Boulder, Greeley, Fort Collins, Breckenridge and Silverthorne.

Colorado has the highest concentration of major new facilities anywhere in the world right now, according to Denise Taylor, administrative manager for the Colorado Parks and Recreation Association, a Wheat Ridge-based organization that includes 140 municipalities.

"Mammoth rec centers are what the public wants," Taylor says. "They're asking their governments and special districts to build these rec centers, and they're willing to pay for them with bond issues or special taxes."

The Apex Center's $28 million capital construction cost was financed by a bond issue paid for with a tax increase approved by district voters in a special May 1998 election. The center itself is projected to raise $2.9 million from user fees and other charges during the first year of operation. That means a $300,000 profit over its operating budget of $2.6 million.

Another successful Colorado center, Summit County's Silverthorne Recreation Center, was built in 1995 for $6.2 million, also paid for by a bond issue.

The center covers 63,000 square feet, adjacent to Rainbow Park and a skateboard area. Its huge windows reveal spectacular mountain views. Future expansion will add a climbing wall and an auxiliary gym for tumbling.

Eighty percent of Silverthorne Rec Center users come from outside Summit County, according to Tammy...