A Sioux Falls Pool Is Getting A Major Upgrade Starting In April

I know it might sound a little strange to talk about swimming pools in mid-March. But believe it or not, in just a few short months, Sioux Falls residents will once again be slathering on sunscreen, claiming lawn chairs, and perfecting their cannonballs at city pools.

After several months of winter coats, ice scrapers, and high heating bills, the thought of warm sunshine and the smell of chlorine in the air sounds pretty good to me.

When summer finally arrives, Sioux Falls eight outdoor public pools will swing open their gates, ready for another season.

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One of those pools, the Kuehn Park Family Aquatic Center, is about to make an even bigger splash. The facility is getting a major makeover starting this spring, and thanks to a winning construction bid that came in well under budget, the city now has a little extra ching to add some fun new features.

According to Pigeon 605, the revised budget for the project was set at $15.4 million, but the lowest bid came in at $13.2 million. In other words, there’s room in the pool budget for some extra bells and whistles, and maybe even a few extra splashes, slides, and floaties.

So what’s being added?

For starters, the recreation pool will feature an even larger themed play structure, giving kids more places to climb, spray, and soak their parents, who were hoping to stay dry. The aquatic center will also add another water slide, specifically a body slide, bringing the total number of slides to two.

There are also plans to install a climbing wall over one of the pools, meaning swimmers can test their upper-body strength before making a dramatic splash landing. And the city may also approve an aquatic crossing feature, similar to the lily pads at the Midco Aquatic Center.

Once completed, the revamped Kuehn Park Aquatic Center will be the largest aquatic facility in Sioux Falls, capable of hosting more than 700 swimmers at a time.

The new design will feature three different water areas:

• A lap pool with diving boards for fitness swimmers and brave high-divers.

• A leisure river pool, ideal for floating along and pretending you’re at a resort.

• An activity pool with zero-depth entry that gradually reaches two feet deep, complete with spray features and a water play structure.

In short, this should be a pretty impressive place to cool off when those July temperatures start to rise.

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Peska Construction has been tabbed to handle the project, with construction scheduled to begin in mid-April and wrap up for the grand opening by the middle of the 2027 swim season.

Here's even more good news for Sioux Falls swimmers this summer: the new aquatic center is being built in a different area of Kuehn Park, which means the current Kuehn Park Pool will still be open for the 2026 summer season, which will be here before you know it!