We sat down with Pat Carney to get the backstory of a half-century of dedication, leadership, and love for Old Town Hot Springs.
When Pat Carney arrived in Steamboat Springs in the early 1970s, she couldn’t have imagined that her “ski bum” days would turn into a legacy spanning multiple decades and helping shape one of the town’s most cherished community institutions, Old Town Hot Springs.
Finding Home and Her Calling
Pat earned her degree in American Government and began her career as a kindergarten assistant in Boston before heading to Washington, D.C., for graduate school in Urban Affairs. By 1971, she was ready for the mountains and moved to Denver, only to realize “it wasn’t actually in the mountains.”
Weekend trips to visit college friends in Steamboat Springs quickly became more frequent, and before long, she made the move permanent. For three years, Pat embraced the ski bum life, working odd jobs, cleaning condos, and even serving as a plumber’s assistant for Chuck Bailey. Then on May 1, 1975, her path took a life-changing turn: board members Dorothy Wither and Lincoln Jones took a chance on a young woman who “didn’t know anything about pools,” hiring Pat as the Manager of the Steamboat Springs Health and Recreation Association (which would later become Old Town Hot Springs).
Learning on the Fly
In those early days, the job came with a $7,000 salary, a small but mighty team of three, and a mountain of challenges. The hot pools were only open part-time, the facility was struggling financially, and Pat’s aquatic experience amounted to learning to swim at a YMCA as a child (she grew up in Newport, Rhode Island, and swam in the ocean).
“It was all learning on the fly,” Pat recalls. “The first thing I discovered was that we had no money.” In fact, the organization was in debt from the FHA loan from the recent 1968 Renovation.
But what Pat lacked in pool expertise, she made up for in determination, organization, and grit. She sought out classes, met with experts, and began turning things around. In the winter of 1976, she got a call from a lifeguard that part of the roof had fallen into the pool. But a roof collapse didn’t stop her team. They decided to remove the roof and leave the glass walls so they could quickly reopen.
Innovation, One Idea at a Time
Under Pat’s leadership, innovation became a defining feature of OTHS. In 1980, the lap pool opened for year-round use, thanks to board members Charlie Williams and Roger Jordan, who figured out how to keep the water warm through Steamboat’s harsh winters. That change helped the organization be able to sell year-round memberships and stabilize the facility’s finances.
The next year brought a shiny new amenity, the waterslide on the hill, built by two 19-year-olds from Utah! “It was all about finding creative ways to draw people in,” Pat said. “Every improvement helped move us forward.”
Pat’s inspiration often came from trade magazines and conferences. “Jane Fonda made fitness classes cool. I didn’t like taking classes myself, but I knew it was the next big thing!”
Keys to the Facility & Community Legends
OTHS has always been defined by its people, and few embodied that spirit more than Dorothy Wither, a devoted board member and community leader. She and her crew, “Dorothy’s gang,” had keys to the facility and would slip in at 5:30 a.m. to swim laps before the doors officially opened. “They’d be in the water before most people had their coffee.” Dorothy’s energy and love for this place set the tone for what OTHS would become. After Dorothy passed, a park was built in her memory, a lasting tribute to her impact. Nonemployee keys to the facility ended in the early 2000s (for obvious reasons).
The Board at the 1983 Groundbreaking – Ray Barrows, Del Scott, Rita Valentine, Jack Sprengle, Gloria Gossard, Don Forbey, Dorothy Wither, Tom Burnam, Pat Carney, Rex Pielstick, Mike Holloran, Bud Romberg, Rudi Schnackenberg, Lincoln Jones
Poolside Antics
Through the years, OTHS has seen its share of colorful stories. There was the Tequila Cup, dreamed up by Park Smalley, a ski-jumping competition where OTHS sold beer poolside until insurance shut it down. Summers brought member cocktail parties, where fun sometimes went a little too far, like the time a man named Hank famously rode a tricycle off the high dive.
After-hours sneak-ins by high schoolers were a regular occurrence, and in the 2000s, staff battled the infamous “mad crapper”, a mystery prankster who made lifeguards’ lives miserable one summer. Wildlife occasionally became an additional attraction; bears and raccoons were known to wander inside the fence (though, thankfully, never into the pools).
A jam packed audience watches competiors flip into the hot pool during the aerials competion of the Winter Carnival Tequila Cup event.
Everyday Life at OTHS
In the 1970s and ’80s, summers at OTHS were the heart of community life. “This was the place for moms and kids,” Pat remembers. “Every kid in town grew up here. It’s why people still have such high expectations for this place, it’s core to our community.”
The staff learned to roll with anything, from afternoon thunderstorms that shut down the pools (and sparked debates over whether there was really lightning, or if the lifeguard just wanted a break), to engineering challenges like when the Post Office bridge collapsed, forcing the team to lobby Congress for permission to rebuild across federal property.
And of course, there were fond memories of the dogs. Pat’s springer spaniel raised a litter of puppies at the pool in the late ’70s, and Gizmo, the loyal companion of longtime facilities director Matt Enochs, who followed him everywhere and quickly became a hit with all the members.
Growth, Change, and Pride
Over the decades, Pat oversaw multiple renovations, each one meeting the community’s growing needs. “I don’t miss the old versions of the facility,” she admits. “Every change was necessary. We’ve always grown with Steamboat.”
From a $50,000 annual budget in 1975 to a multimillion-dollar operation today, Old Town Hot Springs has come a long way. Among the many projects she’s proud of, Pat points to the fitness center expansion in 2019 as a highlight. “That one really set us up for the future,” she says. “But I’m proud of everything we’ve done.
Pat shows off her tennis skills on SSHRA’s first-ever Fourth of July Parade float in 1987
A Labor of Love
Pat officially retired as Executive Director in 2016 but continued serving as Development Director until 2023. When asked what kept her going for so many years, she doesn’t hesitate: “It was never about the paycheck. It was about making this place better. The job was never stale, always something new and interesting.”
Even in retirement, Pat remains a regular at OTHS, hitting the weight room three times a week. “I like to keep up my strength and show the high schoolers how it’s done,” she jokes.
After 50 years of dedication to OTHS, Pat’s love hasn’t faded. “This is such a huge community asset for a town this size,” she says. “People shouldn’t take it for granted.”
From the days of three employees to today’s thriving, modern facility, Pat Carney’s story is woven into every part of OTHS’ history. Her vision, grit, and humor helped shape not just a building, but a beloved cornerstone of life in the Yampa Valley. We are so grateful for you, Pat!
