Supporting Community

The city of Aurora recently received cannabis tax revenue money that allowed it to renovate a beloved recreation center and will also help build a brand new one.

Since cannabis was first legalized in Colorado, a major source of debate has been what to do with the money that comes in from taxes. Some opted for a lower tax or a refund for all residents, while others thought the money should go to things like community programs and schools. Voters picked the latter, and the good that cannabis has done for the state is now a major point of argument for those seeking to spread legalization. Aurora is the latest Colorado city to benefit from cannabis tax revenues, and city officials aren’t afraid to sing the praises of this emerging industry.

It all began when money was allocated from the city’s budget to renovate and re-imagine Moorhead Recreation Center, a well-loved center in Aurora that was torn down in 2016 and needed to be rebuilt. The center already had $16 million from the city budget for the project, but required more in order to make all of their dreams for the new community center a reality. An extra $4 million from cannabis tax revenue did the trick.

“We were in the process of remodeling, but didn’t have the money to cover a new indoor pool,” Byron Fanning, recreation manager for the city of Aurora, told CULTURE. “Then the city of Aurora allocated some money to cover the pool, which in my opinion made all the difference,” Fanning said. “I don’t think it’s really a rec center without an indoor pool. The money helped enclose the existing outdoor pool and build a second pool within the enclosure.”

The newly-renovated recreation center offers amenities that many who rely on public centers for their fitness and fun needs aren’t used to receiving. One of the two indoor pools now has a water slide, and some of the fitness equipment has built-in TVs. There is also enough room for all of the fitness classes to take place within one center.

In addition to a bigger and better Moorhead Recreation Center, a brand new facility, which will be called Central Recreation Center, iscurrently under construction in the city.

“The city then decided to allocate even more money from cannabis tax revenue, and we were actually able to build a ground-up recreation center in the city of Aurora, which we were never able to do before,” Fanning explained.

By next year, thanks to all these new additions, the city will have added 85,000 new square feet of recreational area. In an increasingly expanding area with a high population of underserved people who will benefit from these facilities, it is clear that revenue from the cannabis industry is a major positive boost for Aurora.