From deep water pools to lap swim and spray features, Iowa City residents are being asked to provide input for the new City Park Pool.
The city recently unveiled four preliminary designs ranging in cost from $17 million to $19.5 million as part of phase two of a project that will completely replace the 75-year-old public pool.
The Iowa City City Council voted last year to replace the pool because of structural and safety concerns. Much of the current city facility is non-ADA compliant while the pool is also losing water at an alarming rate. The city hopes to address those concerns with accessible parking and travel routes, with a new pool open for business by the summer of 2026.
The city Parks and Recreation division wants feedback on each design, with a deadline of March 8. The survey can be accessed online in English, Spanish, French, Mandarin and Arabic at https://illinois.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8owNX62rNX9yGAm.
Around 6,000 households were expected to participate in a random sample survey, though a printing error produced an invalid QR code. The city advises those who received a postcard to participate in the random sample by entering their address on the online survey instead.
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Lap pools, kid areas and cost estimates
Each design features a new pool, a new bathhouse, added deck space and shade, diving boards, and other amenities.
The existing playground areas will remain the same, and the overall footprint of the pool will only grow in small increments.
Overall cost, capacity and size vary, with pool capacity ranging from 825 people to about 1,100.
Three of the designs would feature pools with a capacity of just under 500,000 gallons — a noticeable reduction between 34% and 41% in water usage from the current pool. The fourth option would allow room for 750,000 gallons of water, equal to the current capacity.
Option A features a zero-depth entry activity pool with a current channel, bubbler, and spray features attached to a six-lane, 50-meter lap pool. A separate deep water pool would include high and low diving boards. This option would cost an estimated $18.39 million with a maximum capacity of 975 people and 495,600 gallons of water.
Option B offers three separate pools − one six-lane, 50-meter lap pool, a zero-depth entry activity pool, and a separate deep water pool with low and high diving boards.
Option B, according to the plans, allows for more programming options while each pool can operate independently of one another. The maximum capacity of the three pools in option B is 881 persons and 458,555 gallons of water and is expected to cost $17.94 million.
Option C includes an “L” shaped combined lap and activity pool and a separate deep water pool with low and high diving boards. The “L” shaped pool would feature zero-depth entry in the activity area that can be opened up for 2-3 lanes of lap swimming. The lap lanes would be at a depth deep enough for swimming and water fitness. An attached rectangular activity pool would include a play structure and bubbler/spray features.
The maximum occupancy for Option C would be 825 persons and 443,700 gallons of water, which would cost an estimated $17.25 million.
The fourth proposed design − Option D − closely resembles the current pool in design and size, but doesn’t include a children’s activity area, nor does it have accessible zero-depth entry or a separate program area.
This option would replace the pool with a similar design − anchored by one large pool and a separate wading pool.
Option D includes the most 50-meter lap lanes, with eight or nine, but because the activity area would not be separated, the lap lanes won’t always be available. The estimated capacity for Option D is 1,082 persons and 751,575 gallons of water, which is expected to cost $19.52 million.
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Moving forward
The city will use phase two to gather community feedback, which includes a drop-in open house on Feb. 29 at the Mercer Aquatic Center. Architects will be available to answer questions and discuss each design from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
The architects and Parks and Recreation division will then report findings their findings to the city council, which will funnel into design selection later this year, likely during one of the council’s two meetings in April.
That design will then be put out for bid.
Construction is expected to begin after the summer season. The City Park pool will be closed for all of 2025, with an anticipated open date of 2026.
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Why is the pool being replaced?
City Park Pool is an iconic landmark in Iowa City, but its problems have been growing for years.
The current pool has been losing more water than expected each day, and its outdated infrastructure and storage area have been hazardous for employees and residents. The pool lost more than 10 million gallons of water from 2021 through the fall of 2023.
Throughout a months-long process in 2023, community members packed council chambers, voicing concerns that their favorite swimming spot would be turned into a waterpark.
The council approved the pool replacement in September, opting against a large-scale renovation because of the high cost and difficulty.
“The history of City Park Pool is important,” Williams Architects senior project manager Andrew Caputo told the council in September. “I know personally as an architect, history is something that is cherished in the community. History has a role to play in the design process.”
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at[email protected] or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.
