Pool report: From summer opening update to long-term replacement plans

From the short- to the long-term, we’ve got a look at what’s next for your favorite Sioux Falls pools.

This summer

Summer might be in full swing but don’t give up on getting to all the pools in town just yet.

Frank Olson pool and the McKennan Park wading pool have yet to open because of the city’s struggle to hire enough lifeguards.

But Frank Olson is filled with water and being used on a limited basis.

“We’re still using Frank Olson for swim team practice and swimming lessons, and we’re looking at doing additional fitness classes in that location,” said Don Kearney, the city’s director of parks and recreation.

“So at least there’s some use but those uses that don’t require lifeguards.”

The city is still working to get the McKennan Park wading pool open.

“We’re grinding away,” Kearney said. “Whether we’re going to be able to open Frank Olson is still a question mark, but we’re happy to have it available a limited amount where we don’t have lifeguards available.”

The Midco Aquatic Center at Spellerberg Park also has led to attendance at outdoor pools dropping 25 percent, he added, “so that’s really provided a lot more capacity.”

2023-24

There likely will be at least two more summers using the pools currently in the city’s parks system. In 2023, the plan is to go through a design process for Frank Olson, Kuehn and McKennan Park that will include looking at how to replace and modernize the current pools.

“We not only have to think about building a pool but about the other amenities,” Kearney said, comparing it to when the Spellerberg Park pool was replaced by the Midco Aquatic Center and tennis courts and a playground had to be moved.

“That’s what we plan to do with the pool replacements, knowing the pool is not going to end up in the same spot in those locations, and if that happens, we have to have good access and parking.”

Frank Olson and Kuehn are more traditional pools, built in the 1970s and early ’80s.

The city’s more modern pools are family aquatic centers, with more interactive features.

While the design of the new pools is yet to be determined, they will require a zero-depth entry for ADA compliance, Kearney said.

The aquatic centers “really have a lot more play value,” he added. “They draw a lot more attendance than our traditional pools.”

The McKennan Park wading pool “won’t be as significant of a change, but there will be a change in regard to ADA access and new play features that 50 years ago they didn’t have available, incorporating the latest in aquatic facility design and trends,” he said.

Those projects would be funded in a bond paid back by city sales tax, according to the most recent five-year capital program, so design and construction likely would follow in 2024 and beyond.

That same bond also could include funding for needed improvements at the city’s other pools. Laurel Oak and Terrace Park are approaching 30 years old, and there are some things that could “extend the life of those facilities,” Kearney said.

That could include expanding concessions at Laurel Oak and potentially replacing the sand play areas with spray grounds.

“It was a novel idea bringing the beach to the aquatic center, but there are maintenance issues,” Kearney said, adding he’s glad to be moving forward with long-term solutions across the aquatic system.

“We’ve been talking about needing to replace these pools for a long time, not necessarily immediately, but having a plan that addresses our oldest facilities is music to my ears,” he said.

What projects is the city building next? This plan shows us