Silverthorne's Rec Center Expansion Is Almost Done. Here's What Changes This Winter

"Our programming has regularly been full," Steven Herrman, Silverthorne's parks, recreation, open space and trails director, told the Summit Daily this summer. "People that are trying to get into our programs are aware of that," he said, adding that they are "in a kind of silent line, or waitlist."

That line explains most of what the $29 million expansion at the Rec Center, 430 Rainbow Drive, is for. The Silverthorne Recreation Center was built in 1992 and opened in 1994. Herrman described the building as only the first phase of a longer plan. The town identified the need to expand in a 2009 recreation master plan and confirmed it again in a 2020 strategic plan. The new wing is meant to clear waitlists and make room for programs. It does not change what the building is at its core. The parts with fixed dates are not the parts most people would guess.

The New Square Footage Goes to Programs That Have Been Full

The town calls the addition 24,000 square feet. Its own room-by-room table adds up to 24,690. About half of that is one room.

The MAC Gym is the main change. It splits into three sections, so a basketball game, a gymnastics class and a trampoline session can run at the same time without trading gym slots. The lounge above it gives parents a place to watch that isn't the edge of the floor.

The weight room grows by 1,440 square feet and gets north-facing windows that look out over Rainbow Park. The two multi-use rooms are meant for classes, meetings and rentals. That kind of space has been hard to book when existing rooms are full.

Kid's Korner goes back to its original location. It gets new flooring, windows and an entrance, plus a door straight onto a new patio. The rules stay the same: children from 6 months to 6 years old, a guardian on site, and a two-hour daily limit.

What the Expansion Leaves Alone

The town's published scope for the expansion does not include a new pool or a new climbing wall. The amenities page still lists four pools, two water slides and the existing aquatics climbing wall. The pool deck you know today will look the same next year.

Pass prices haven't changed either, at least not in anything published yet. The current Recreation Center page lists a daily admission of $16 for adults, $9 for youth and $14 for seniors. Monthly passes are $68 for adults, $42 for youth, $50 for seniors and $160 for families. As of October 2026, no town release or Summit Daily story has announced a price change tied to the new wing.

The town is also adding programs to fill the new space. A September 9 memo to council lists parkour, silks, family drop-in days and expanded gymnastics as planned uses. None of them has a launch date yet.

November Is the Target, With One Open Question

The latest construction report was issued October 2 and attached to a memo for the council's October 14 work session. It says the project "remains on track for November 2026 completion." The work has moved into final finishes, punch-list walks, signage, furniture installation, testing and inspections. Staff have started planning the town's move-in.

The same memo flags a new problem. The elevator may need code-related improvements before it can pass final inspection, which the report calls "a potential schedule risk." The project team is working on it and assessing how it could affect the schedule and budget.

The November date has already moved once. A council packet from November 2025 aimed for occupancy on September 28, 2026. By the July 2026 update, occupancy had shifted to November, and staff still described the project as on track. "Completion" in these reports means the contractor hands the building to the town. It is not a public opening. As of October 10, the town has not announced an opening day or ribbon cutting.

The latest report expects no major disruption to daily operations. It does mention brief interruptions during systems testing and while the town moves in.

Camp Silverthorne Already Has Dates

The building has no opening day yet, but its newest program does. Camp Silverthorne is the town's first licensed childcare program. According to the Summit Daily, it is designed to serve up to 45 children ages 5 to 12 year-round. It is a separate program from Kid's Korner. Children stay in licensed care while their parents are somewhere else. Five-year-olds are eligible once they have started kindergarten.

Here is the schedule the town has published:

1. Holiday break session 1, December 21–23
2. Holiday break session 2, December 28–30
3. Winter after-school session starts January 5, 2027

All Day Adventure Camp runs from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and costs $55 a day. After-school care runs from dismissal to 5:30 p.m. and costs $15 a day on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and $20 on Wednesdays. The town drives children from Silverthorne Elementary School to the Rec Center. Most programs can be booked day by day, and scholarships are available. Camp follows the Summit School District calendar for breaks and no-school days.

Two town sources give different registration dates. The Camp Silverthorne page says enrollment for the holiday sessions opens Tuesday, November 10, and registration for winter after-school care opens December 1 at 7 a.m. The town's October 1 recreation newsletter says Camp Silverthorne registration begins December 1 at 7 a.m., and other winter programs open December 3. The camp page has the more detailed schedule. If you're planning around the holiday sessions, confirm the November 10 date with the Rec Center before then.

So the inaugural licensed care sessions are set for the school district's holiday break, while the space they'll use still has to pass final inspection.

The Calendar Until the Wing Opens

Until the new wing opens, the existing building and the Silverthorne Pavilion at 400 Blue River Parkway carry the town's late-fall calendar. Winter hours at the Rec Center start November 1: 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays, and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays.

• October 30, Country Western Dance at the Pavilion. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and guided lessons run from 7 to 8 p.m., followed by open dancing until 10:30. Admission is $10.
• October 31, Thriller Dance in the current Rec Center gym, 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. All ages are welcome, costumes are encouraged, and it's free with a membership or daily admission.
• November 6, First Friday Día de los Muertos. The celebration runs from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. with music, folklórico dancing, a local market, children's activities and food.
• November 19, Celebrations Around the World, 6 to 8 p.m. The event features cultures represented by Summit County residents.
• November 21, another Country Western Dance, with lessons, open dancing and $10 admission.
• December 4, First Friday holiday lighting and art market, 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. The tree is lit at 6.
• December 5, Pavilion Holiday Art Market, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For families with young children, the town has also opened the new playground at Maryland Creek Park. It has inclusive play features and a mining-history theme. At the October 8 opening celebration, the town also recognized historical ranching photos and a dog-park mural by local artist Kelly Triolo.

The October 14 council memo will be followed by more monthly updates. The next one should show whether the elevator issue holds the November completion date or pushes it back.

Whether the new Rec Center wing opens in November or slips into the new year, Lindblom Groupe follows these Summit County projects because they shape how residents spend ordinary weekdays. If you'd like to talk through how Silverthorne's new community spaces fit your plans, from a primary home to a second home near Rainbow Park, Scott and Anne would be glad to hear from you. Contact Us.