Two Durango men have purchased Trimble Spa & Natural Hot Springs with plans to quickly replace the Olympic-size pool that has failed and to rename the business.

Bryan Yearout and Dan Carter plan to rename the spa Durango Hot Springs & Resort in an effort to highlight the facility's location, only miles north of Durango.

“We think the name Durango being involved is necessary to help people understand where it is,” Yearout said Tuesday in a phone interview.

The men also plan to replace, within the year, the Olympic-size pool that has structurally failed. Yearout said design work for a replacement pool is ongoing, and he expects demolition work on the pool to begin in a few weeks.

The mineral pools and the spa will remain open during demolition work on the big pool, Yearout said.

The reason the big pool can be replaced so quickly, Carter said, is because of a cooperative relationship with La Plata County Community Development Services.

“I'd like to give kudos to the county. They've gotten a lot of bad press about being anti-business. But the reason why we'll finalize improvements to the pool before year-end is because the county has been very supportive,” Carter said.

Yearout and Carter said they also plan other upgrades – mostly things not visible to customers, such as work on deferred maintenance.

The men expect to finalize the sale Wednesday. They declined to give a sale price.

They purchased Trimble from a limited liability corporation.

The spa should continue operating with the change in ownership without the need for a closure. Yearout said entry prices and hours should remain steady until improvements to the facility can be completed.

The partners said the North Animas Valley needs a venue for entertainment, and they believe the property, with upgrades, can serve that function.

The immediate priority, they said, was to replace the Olympic pool.

“What people do right now is drive by, many times, but we think we have a resource in the hot springs mineral water that's very unique,” Yearout said.

parmijo@durangoherald.com

Owner information has been updated in this story. Update: Three individuals – Bryan Yearout, Dan Carter and Kurt Carter – bought the resort.