The Aurora Public Library and the city’s recreation centers are pressing ahead with efforts to scale up operations after the pandemic limited services.

Directors from the library and the parks, recreation and open space departments presented plans to council during the Monday study session to adjust hours next year and discussed ongoing challenges as the city continues to recover from the pandemic.

Brooke Bell, the director of parks, recreation and open space for the city, said programming has progressively reopened at city recreation centers since COVID-19 shuttered facilities in March 2020.

“There remain challenges that the department needs to overcome to continue to grow and deliver the services that the public has come to expect,” Bell said.

The department will review variable hours and full-time wages in early 2023 to help with recruitment and retention, which remains a struggle, Bell said.

Mid-level aquatics and program lead positions are the most difficult to fill. Without mid-level managers, pool hours may need to differ from full center hours, Bell said, adding that the department is also using contracted janitorial services while it recruits for full-time positions.

To assess what hours should look like in 2023, the department evaluated pre-pandemic visitation data, other metro area center hours and asked for staff input, Bell said. Not all data supported returning to pre-pandemic hours, she said, and some recreation center hours could be shorter than before the public health crisis unfurled.

Here’s how larger center’s hours could look in 2023:

• Central Recreation Center: Monday through Friday, 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; and, Sunday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Pre-pandemic hours were Monday through Thursday, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Fridays from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and, Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.)

• Beck Recreation Center: Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and, closed on Sundays except for rentals. (Pre-pandemic hours were Monday through Thursday from 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Fridays from 5:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

• Moorhead Recreation Center: Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. through 8 p.m.; Saturday through Sunday, 9 a.m. through 6 p.m. (Pre-pandemic hours were Monday through Thursday, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Fridays from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and, Saturdays through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

• Utah Pool: Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.; and, Saturday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Pre-pandemic hours were Monday through Friday, 5:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturdays from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and, Sundays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

• Aurora Center for Active Adults: Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturdays open to programs and rental only; and closed on Sundays except for rentals. (Pre-pandemic hours were Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., then for rentals; and, closed on Sundays except for rentals)

Midori Clark, director of library and cultural services, presented plans for the Aurora Public Library’s hours in 2023 and reviewed how the library responded to the pandemic.

Libraries closed on March 14, 2020 and launched virtual services by March 16 of that year. The library’s sewing labs were put to work making 3,000 masks for first responders, and, in May, the library launched curbside services. In July 2020, the library resumed operations with “fairly limited capacity,” allowing a certain percentage of people inside at a time and asking them to stay a maximum of one hour.

The library opened to people from Monday through Friday, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. beginning in July 2020. That was a large amount of time to be open during that phase of the pandemic, Clark said. The library added Saturdays to the schedule in July 2021, and began allowing people to stay as long as they wanted during operating hours.

To shape the proposed 2023 hours, Clark said the library relied heavily on staff input. One staff member conducted a study of library systems in the metro area, looking closely at Denver and Arapahoe County libraries. They learned most branches are continuing Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. hours, Clark said, and recommend doing the same.

Central and Tallyn’s Reach libraries will expand to 9 a.m. through 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 10 am. to 6 p.m. from Friday through Sunday. In response to questions from Councilmember Alison Coombs, Bell and Clark said they are considering multiple options for unused spaced at the Meadowood branch, including community meeting space and dance classes.