Sioux Falls hopes to replace two existing swimming pools in the coming years, one on the city's east side and the other on the west side.

Pigeon 605 reports that the Sioux Falls City Council approved a bond ordinance on Tuesday, (January 14) allowing the city to borrow up to 68 Million to replace the pools at Frank Olson Park and Kuehn Park. Some of that money will also be allocated to make improvements to the newly acquired Westside Recreation Center off the Tea Ellis Road.

The plans for the two new pool replacements will be state-of-the-art, to say the least.

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According to Pigeon 605, the plan for the new facility at Frank Olson Park is to convert it into an indoor aquatic facility designed for all ages that will feature things an “easy river” channel for resistant swimming and a flume slide that pierces its way outside the building and then winds back in, along with a play area with interactive water features. The proposed plan also calls for a 25-yard, six-lane lap pool for fitness, swimming lessons, and adult programming.

The recreation center tied to Frank Olson Pool will feature a full-size gymnasium with flexible-use courts for basketball, volleyball, and pickleball. There are also plans for an outdoor patio/pavilion area to host events, along with a venue that will accommodate food trucks for gatherings. And check this out, there are also plans for constructing a sledding hill in the park, that can double as a gathering area for people during the winter months.

This thing will be sweet when it's done!

As far as the Kuehn Park facility goes, Pigeon 605 says the plan is to make this outdoor aquatic center the largest one in the city, with diving boards, climbing walls, basketball hoops, a leisure river, and a tube slide.

The proposed aquatic center will feature three separate areas of water, including a pool for fitness laps, a leisure river pool with a tube slide, and an activities pool that starts at zero depth and goes to 2 feet.

Finally, the city is also looking at making much-needed improvements to the Westside Recreation Center. Roof repairs are in the works, along with repairs to the parking lot, as well as ADA-related improvements.

Pigeon 605 reports it will take roughly a year for the design plans to be finalized on both pool replacement projects, and then at least a year's construction time on the Kuehn Park facility, and a two-year construction period on the Frank Olson Pool and Recreation Center.

The Sioux Falls City Council also stipulated that another vote must be taken once the design plans are completed for the Frank Olson facility. Funds for the construction of the Frank Olson project will not be released until the vote is approved.

Take a sneak peek at a few more images from the two new aquatic facilities, and get a deeper dive into the proposed plans for both in the Pigeon 605 story here.

Source: Pigeon 605

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