Leadville's lone publicly accessible swimming facility is teetering on the edge of permanent closure, prompting a grassroots fundraising push from residents determined to keep it running.
The Lake County Aquatic Center's 2021 shutdown left Swim Squared as the only swimming option for miles around Leadville. Owners Eric and Bethany Godsman have used the studio pool to give approximately 150 local children their first swimming lessons — a figure representing around 5% of the city's total population. Bethany Godsman said the business has enough runway to cover rent only through around September.
The Willow fire has already cost the studio several memberships, particularly among athletes who relied on the pool for triathlon cross-training, and the owners said customers across the board have been trimming their spending wherever they can.
A report from the Total Aquatic Training and Education Institute found that Colorado recorded 129 drowning deaths over the past five years. The co-leader of the Lake County Water Safety Task Force, who also serves as executive director of the National Drowning Prevention Alliance, warned that the toll could worsen if children have fewer opportunities to learn to swim. She said that "knowing how to swim and having basic water competency is a layer of protection against drowning."
In addition to safety instruction, the pool functions as a community hub where residents pursue aquatherapy, mark birthdays, or simply enjoy a recreational swim. The owners have described the enterprise as a labor of love for Leadville. An owner said, "We poured our heart and soul into this place because it was something that we wanted to do for the community," adding that the prospect of closing is painful given how grateful regular visitors have been.
After learning about the studio's precarious timeline, the Water Safety Task Force co-leader launched a GoFundMe campaign on the facility's behalf. The campaign drew $1,000 in donations within its first two days, though organizers say the pool requires $20,000 to sustain operations for several more months.
Whether the fundraiser can close the gap between donations received and the amount needed before the business exhausts its finances this fall remains an open question.