As city pools open, Sioux Falls plans for aquatics investments

By the end of this swim season, the future of several city pools could start coming into focus.

The city of Sioux Falls is evaluating several firms proposing to help create master plans for parks that include pool replacements at Frank Olson and Kuehn as well as a potential pool for south Sioux Falls.

“Our goal is to determine who is best for each location and ideally start running contracts by the end of June,” said Mike Patten, park development specialist.

In the meantime, pools open Friday — except for the new splash pad at Hayward Park, which is already operating.

The city’s success in hiring lifeguards following a pay increase two seasons ago has continued, and “we are currently fully staffed for the start of the summer season,” said Jean Pearson, recreation program coordinator, adding that pre-season training also is wrapping up.

The biggest change for swimmers this season is swim lessons, she said.

“Instead of offering our traditional two-week session in both June and July at all four pools, we are going to split the locations to provide more opportunities for lessons across the city,” Pearson said. “The first two-week session will be held at Kuehn and Laurel Oak Aquatic Center. The second session will be held at Frank Olson and Terrace Park Aquatic Center. The third session will return to Kuehn and Laurel Oak and the fourth at Frank Olson and Terrace Park.”

Open swim at aquatic facilities is held from 1 to 5 p.m. and 6:30 to 8 p.m. daily. Children 6 and younger must be supervised by someone at least 16. The ratio of children 6 and younger must not exceed five per adult. Spray parks are open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Swim passes are now available. Residents can search for all open aquatic facilities and splash pads using the Park Finder Map.

The Sioux Falls Parks & Recreation Department also has a full slate of aquatic programs and special events, including two new ones:

• School’s Out Summer Pool Party, 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, June 4, at Drake Springs, Frank Olson, Kuehn, Laurel Oak and Terrace Park family aquatic facilities. Celebrate summer with music, pool games and fun.
• Aquatic Summer Camp for youths age 10 to 13 at Terrace Park Family Aquatic Center, weekdays from June 12-16, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Dive into stroke swimming games, water polo, volleyball, BOGA boards and more. Experience different strokes, crafts and water/lawn games. Campers must be able to swim 25 yards. Bring a snack, water, towel, hat and sunscreen. The cost is $25, and registration by June 9 is required.

Looking ahead

The city’s aquatics planning last year included a broad range of surveys and opportunities for input, but actual plans for pool projects haven’t been developed yet.

The request for proposals for an aquatics designer shared the main themes that came out of public input:

The first phase for each location is master planning the park, “so we’re going to take a look at all those options, engage the community, figure out what we’d ultimately like to see for full build-out of the park for each location, and based on what’s determined in the master plan is how we’ll move forward with phase two,” Patten said.

Phase two is “specific design of what facilities we’re looking to construct,” he continued. “The planning will all get started this summer. The time for construction is to be determined. If we’re going to reconstruct an aquatic facility in the same location as the existing one, we probably wouldn’t start until after the swim season of whatever year it is. Or if it’s going in a different location, we can probably be building it (during the swim season).”

In addition to replacements — indoor or outdoor — at Frank Olson and Kuehn, a replacement wading pool is planned at McKennan Park that likely will be an updated version of the current one.

The plan is to fund the pool improvements in one bond, but the scope and cost haven’t been determined.

While a location hasn’t been determined for a south-side pool, there was enough interest and support that it was added to the request for proposals, Patten said.

In the RFP, the city said it is “exploring opportunities to partner with the Harrisburg School District for the future development of an outdoor aquatic center on the south side of Sioux Falls” and anticipates developing 5 to 7 acres “for an outdoor aquatic center with a combination of recreation and fitness water and associated support facilities.”