Local municipal pools, water parks keep community active with low prices

With balmier than average temperatures projected for the summer months, local community pools and water parks are watching pool passes fly off the shelves and swimming lessons fill up as opening days approach fast.

Kenyon’s Municipal Swimming Pool stood alone as the first in the region to open on Memorial Day Weekend, as the expected opening of St. Peter’s Roy T. Lindberg Memorial Pool was pushed back to the following weekend, due to maintenance-related delays.

Instead of leading the charge, St. Peter’s pool joined much larger facilities in Owatonna and Waseca in opening up the following weekend, with the calendar’s turn to June marking the beginning of a season of family friendly fun.

With inflation squeezing family budgets in the post-COVID economy, area pools and water parks have gained in popularity over the last several years by keeping their prices low and stable, with help from local governments which have generously underwritten their operations.

Even with the cost of airfare, hotel rooms and rental cars slightly lower than 2023, the rising costs of everything from food to recreational experiences means that the average summer traveler is likely to pay substantially more than they did before the pandemic.

While a recent survey from personal finance website NerdWallet showed that nearly half of Americans still plan to travel this summer, one in five of those travelers expressed expectations that they’ll need to rack up credit card debt to pay for at least part of the cost.

Furthermore, 22% of those not planning on a summer trip said they didn’t plan to travel because inflation had increased the cost of travel too much, while another 19% didn’t plan to travel because inflation had increased other expenses by so much that they couldn’t afford a trip.

By contrast, a day at the pool remains a highly affordable affair across the region, with daily passes ranging in price from $7.50 at Owatonna’s River Springs Water Park (for adults and children over 4 feet) to just $3 at St. Peter’s Lindberg Memorial Pool.

Season passes are similarly affordable, running at $85.90 per individual in Faribault and $90 per individual in Owatonna, prices unchanged from last year. Family passes can provide an even better deal, at right around $190 for three people and $22 for each additional child.

St. Peter’s Lindberg Memorial Pool offers an even thriftier option, with individual season passes running at just $30 per person, “Family Friendly Passes” which can cover up to six household members for only $45, and a 10 admission pool pass available for just $20.

Northfield’s Old Memorial Pool and the Waseca Water Park fall in the middle when it comes to price, with daily passes available for just $5 but individual and family season passes priced similarly to River Springs Water Park and the Faribault Aquatic Center.

In addition to pool passes, swimming lessons are proving to be a particularly popular item. Faribault Parks and Recreation Director Paul Peanasky said that many classes are already full for the summer, especially those tailored towards children and beginners.

In preparation for the summer, pools have invested in maintenance needs and even some facility enhancements, with Waseca Water Park upgrading its popular Water Walk. However, finding quality staff has proven to be the biggest challenge and greatest expense for local pools.

After years of struggling with staffing amid a tight labor market, pool administrators say they’re in a relatively strong position this year. At Le Sueur’s Aqua Valley Pool, Le Sueur Recreation Manager Allison Watkins said a full staff is already in place.

Peanasky said that as the COVID shutdown year of 2020 fades further into the rearview mirror, local pools have been better able to get into a rhythm with staffing. During the pandemic, he noted that many pool workers got other jobs and ultimately never returned to the pool.

“The year COVID hit, we lost everybody,” Peanasky said. “We had to start back with everybody new.”

In Le Sueur, Watkins expects strong demand for the Parks and Recreation Department’s annual pool pass sale next weekend. So long as the weather cooperates, Watkins anticipates solid growth in attendance this year, in line with the pool’s steadily increasing popularity post-COVID.

“Things have gotten stronger each year and interest is coming back, which is great to see, because COVID was really disruptive,” Watkins said.