Edina Council to Vote on Aquatic Center Funding
The Edina City Council will vote July 15 on whether to use tax abatement bonds to fund a $9 million replacement of the Aquatic Center's deteriorating pump house, which has operated since 1958.
The aging infrastructure poses safety risks and operational concerns that could force facility closure if not addressed, according to city officials. The original pump house needs replacement with a code-compliant structure featuring modern systems. In 2021, a mechanical failure occurred just 10 days before the facility's scheduled opening, requiring used parts as an interim solution. The aquatic center experienced ongoing electrical spikes in 2024 that caused operational issues.
The city unsuccessfully sought state bonding for the project during the 2023 and 2025 legislative sessions. Municipal bonds for recreation projects face limitations, and increasing user fees would not generate necessary funding within the required timeline without significant rate increases that would impact affordability, city officials said.
The Finance Department proposed selling tax abatement bonds to cover the estimated project cost. City staff want to begin construction this year to complete the new pump house before the 2026 season opens.
Without the new construction, the aquatic center's filtration system could fail at any time, according to city engineers who evaluated both the structure's safety and equipment systems. Delays in addressing the infrastructure issues could lead to further deterioration, higher repair costs and potential facility closure.
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Edina Aquatic Center Pump House Replacement Funding Decision
The city presented the critical need for pump house replacement due to 1958-era infrastructure creating safety and compliance risks. Staff outlined the history of failures (2021 mechanical failure requiring used parts as interim solution; 2024 electrical spikes). Multiple funding options were evaluated: state bonding proved unsuccessful; user fee increases would compromise affordability; bond referendums would delay action and risk further deterioration. Tax abatement bonds emerged as the only viable option, with finance staff confirming sufficient tax capacity exists in surrounding identified parcels to support the $9 million project. The decision was deferred to a July 15th city council meeting.
The deteriorating infrastructure poses operational risks, safety concerns, and compliance issues which could force facility closures if left unaddressed.
We engaged an architect and engineer to look at not only the structure itself from a safety standpoint, but all the equipment and pieces of that pool. We realized that new construction was required and without this new construction there's a possibility that the aquatic center in itself and the filtration system may fail at any point in time.
We could essentially wait and do a bond referendum in the next couple of years. What does that mean? That would mean that we risk malfunctions at the aquatic center that would result in even bigger problems. So therefore if we want to take care of the problem now tax abatement is our only option and we do have that tax capacity within those surrounding identified parcels.
Source document
[Music] Welcome to Agenda Edina, a program summarizing the actions taken at city hall that affect you most. I'm your host, Dorothia Marty. The city is exploring a new way to fund long overdue upgrades to the Edina Aquatic Cent's pump house, which has been in use since 1958. The original pool pump house needs to be replaced with a code compliance structure with a modern system. The deteriorating infrastructure poses operational risks, safety concerns, and compliance issues which could force facility closures if left unressed. 10 days before the scheduled opening of the Dina Aquatic Center in 2021, a mechanical failure occurred. Because the systems are obsolete, used parts were used as an interim solution, allowing the facility to reopen. In 2024, the aquatic center experienced ongoing electrical spikes causing operational issues. Over the past few years, the city's facilities division has developed plans to build a new filter room adjacent to the current pump house. Time is of the essence as delays in addressing these issues could lead to further deterioration, higher repair costs, and potential closure of the facility. Staff would like to begin construction this year so the new pump house would be complete before the 2026 season. We engaged an architect and engineer to look at not only the structure itself u from a safety standpoint, but all the equipment and uh pieces of that pool. We realized that new construction was required and without this new construction there's a possibility that the uh aquatic center in itself and the filtration system may fail at any point in time. The city sought state bonding for the project during the 2023 and 2025 legislative sessions but was unsuccessful. Municipal bonds for recreation projects are limited. It would also not be possible to increase user fees to finance the project in the necessary timeline or without significant increases that would impact affordability. The finance department has proposed selling tax abatement bonds to pay for the estimated $9 million project. We could essentially wait and do a bond referendum in the next couple of years. What does that mean? that would mean that we risk um malfunctions at the aquatic center that would result in even bigger problems. So therefore if we want to take care of the problem now tax abatement is our only option and we do have that tax capacity within those surrounding identified parcels that says hey the city has enough within that calculation that proves that this is an option if we want to do something about it this year. The city council will decide at its meeting July 15th if tax abatement bonds should be used to fund the project. If it is approved, bonds will likely be sold later this
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Other Topics from This Document
Edina Aquatic Center Pump House Replacement Project
Municipal Financing Options for Recreation Infrastructure
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