Kuehn Park Family Aquatic Center begins construction while pool remains open

Site work is underway at the site of the new Kuehn Park Family Aquatic Center while the current pool at the west-side park remains open this season.

The new location will be in a different area of the park, off Valley View Drive north of Oscar Howe Elementary.

Site grading has started to dig out space for three separate bodies of water, as well as the bathhouse, which will be built at the same time as the pool.

The new location for the aquatic center will provide better access coming off of Valley View, allow the city to keep the current pool open during construction and allow the city to share parking with Oscar Howe Elementary.

“This will also free up parking spaces and restroom facilities for tennis and golf, provide more green space buffer for houses … and spread out activities within the park,” Tyler Landry, city park development specialist, said in a city update.

The aquatic center will offer “a good mix of recreational and training water,” he said.

That includes a 5,000-square-foot zero-depth activity pool, a 235-foot long, 10-foot wide lazy river, a 35-foot tube slide and a separate body slide.

There’s also an eight-lane 25-yard pool for lap swimming and diving, with 1- and 3-meter boards, two basketball hoops and the first climbing wall in a city pool.

“In addition to the water, we’ll have ample deck and lawn area, as well as plenty of shade for those that want to get a break from the sun,” Landry said.

The plan is to open the new aquatic center midsummer of 2027.