Denver Parks & Recreation is making headlines in the New York Times for limiting exercise groups in Denver parks.


After a Front Porch newspaper story about Stapleton's Stroller Strides, owner Caren Elenowitz got notice that she couldn't hold her classes for moms in the parks anymore - because she didn't have a permit.

  And now they're limiting all the boot camp, cross fit and yoga classes too, calling them a "public nuisance." They adopted this permit policy in May. Rules is rules. Because, you know, those 80 acres in Central Park are meant to be used for OTHER stuff.

Now, understand that the parks need to be able to track who is using the park on a given day.  You can't hold a 5K race without getting a permit. But these exercise classes fit into a different category: they're mobile, they don't require barriers or anything from the city, and they certainly shouldn't be charged the same fees as a 1,000 runner race. And a busy Saturday at the park is different than a Tuesday morning at 10:00 am.

 On July 16, Denver Parks & Rec will vote on new permit fees, and you can read more about that at SmartPlanet:

Under the recommendation, a summer season permit for 90 minutes in an exclusive-use zone in a tier one park will be $24.50 to $32.50, depending on time of day. For instructors and businesses who hold outdoor exercise classes every day, sometimes several times a day, these permit fees would take a significant bite out of their profits. Lower fees have been recommended for summer permits for tier two, or lesser-used parks as well as winter season permits. The recommendation will go to the Denver City Council Land Use Transportation and Infrastructure committee July 16 for approval.

Read: In Health-Conscious Denver, Limits on Group Exercise

 Tell: Our City Councilman Christopher Herndon that our parks are supposed to encourage fitness at Christopher.Herndon@denvergov.org

 Support: Stroller Strides Denver and Chris Lindley Fitness