Colorado Park and Recreation District Partners with McKinstry to Revitalize Parks and Facilities

Named for the community’s famous eponymous scenic feature, the Foothills Park & Recreation District (FHPRD) is a special district in Jefferson and Arapahoe Counties in Colorado dedicated to serving community members through quality and well-maintained parks, recreational spaces and integral programming like youth and adult sports, fitness classes and educational enrichment. Founded in 1959, FHPRD manages three recreation centers, one 2-sheet ice arena, four indoor and four outdoor swimming pools, two golf courses, as well as 68 park sites totaling more than 2,400 acres of public-use land.  

In 2008, FHPRD applied for a Jefferson County Open Space grant to improve lighting across several outdoor spaces. Upon earning the $299,000 grant, FHPRD partnered with McKinstry to perform essential lighting upgrades beginning in 2009. In addition to grant money, FHPRD collaborated with McKinstry to earn several other incentives including $180,000 in local utility rebates and $40,000 in rebates from local agency Denver Water. Most notably, an Xcel Energy Solar Rewards Program enabled the district to implement energy efficient solar PV systems with a $200,000 rebate on McKinstry-installed solar with a 20-year payout from the utility Xcel Energy. 

In addition to outdoor lighting upgrades and the installation of 100kW solar at the Edge Ice Arena, McKinstry supported the district with heat recovery and redistribution, upgraded digital controls systems, new windows, redesigned pool lighting systems, air-handler retro-commissioning (RBCx) and mechanical retrofits completed in 2011. The $3.1M project saves the district over $305,000 a year in utility and maintenance costs. McKinstry’s years of experience provided valuable insights to the district, collaborating on the creation and execution of a custom energy efficiency and mechanical upgrade program, addressing some of the deferred maintenance and various comfort requirements within the facilities.  

Almost a decade later, McKinstry’s trusted partnership with FHPRD enabled another project in 2019. The new $7.9M project began with a comprehensive energy audit to identify impactful energy conservation measures and strategic end-of-life equipment replacement projects to positively impact the visitor experience. The recommended measures McKinstry completed in fall 2024 included extensive HVAC upgrades – boilers, HRUs (Heat Recovery Units) and rooftop heating and cooling units. McKinstry also supported the conversion of pool water treatment systems from outdated chemical refrigerants to environmentally friendly UV lamp filtration systems. The project also included lighting upgrades from fluorescents to more energy efficient LEDs with unique controls features with dimming and occupancy sensors plus fixture replacements at high-use areas such as pools, the driving range, gymnasiums and ice rinks. The combination of all these improvements will not only save energy and improve water quality, but they will lengthen the life of the building’s infrastructure while offering visitors a more temperate, well–lit environment to enjoy their fitness programming and recreation. Mechanical retrofits were paired with an upgraded and centralized controls system providing district staff with comprehensive facility data monitoring and a user-friendly and actionable digital platform. Going forward, the district will see approximately $160,000 in annual utility costs savings.  

McKinstry is honored to work with dedicated entities and community stewards in every sector across the country. Foothills Park & Recreation District is an exemplar in specialty districts, offering residents and visitors an elevated recreational experience in their own backyard while also prioritizing energy efficiency and facilities maintenance for the community.