Staff recommends that Council provide direction regarding the financial budget, footprint of the new pool, construction methodology, and capital campaign/naming rights opportunities to PRPL Director Gavin Woltjer.   

The renovation of South Park Pool has been a City priority since 2021 and supports the City Council's strategic goal of enhancing parks, trails, and recreational amenities. In 2024, PRPL completed an aquatic facilities study that confirmed the need to replace and modernize the aging pool. While the facility remains operational through temporary repairs, a long-term solution is needed.

The project is included in the FY27–FY28 Capital Improvement Program. Current identified funding totals approximately $10.9 million, including recent grant awards and pending grant applications, with an estimated total project cost of $15–16 million.
To move the project forward, Council direction is requested on three items:

• Confirm the final project budget.
• Approve the Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) delivery method.
• Authorize development of a capital campaign and naming rights strategy to support additional fundraising.

Renovation of South Park Pool has been discussed numerous times with a myriad of interested parties since 2021. In May 2022, the City Council strategies and priorities identified the importance of increasing parks, trails, and cultural amenities. A major component of this identification was South Park Pool. Finance Director Andy Zoeller included a South Park Pool renovation among the projects mentioned at the December 11, 2023, Council business meeting. At that time, funding for this project was expressed as $400,000 of the project would come from the FY25 General Fund to be used for design of a new facility and $10M to be debt funded for construction. At the March 2024 City Council and Leadership Retreat, the group identified one of the City's strategic goals was to "Offer Outstanding Library, Parks, Trails, and Cultural Amenities." During this meeting, an area of policy discussion was "capital projects [for] South Park Pool, Zimmerman Center, and North Park Center [for] replacement or removal soon." In July 2024, the Parks, Recreation, and Public Lands department contracted with A&E Architects to do an aquatic study (attached) of the pools and splash pads in PRPL's inventory. The scope of the study looked at the age and condition of each facility and to provide recommendations for possible updates and improvements. That study's scope was extended to have A&E take an extensive look at South Park Pool and provide concepts—not designs—regarding how the pool could be updated and replaced. 

Since that July 2024 aquatic study, the PRPL department has been able to keep South Park Pool operational through a variety of measures. Each measure was never intended to be a long-term solution. In May 2026, PRPL was awarded $121,488 from the 2026 Federal Home Loan Bank's matching grant program. Mountain America Federal Credit Union matched this grant with $50,000. The total amount received is $171,488 to be used for recreational amenities at a new pool. The PRPL department also submitted a grant application for the Montana Historic Preservation Grant in the amount of $350,000 through the Montana Department of Commerce. Notification of final award decisions will be announced in Feb./March 2027. 

The renovation of South Park Pool is currently split over FY27 and FY28 in PRPL's CIP list. 

What needs to be decided:
1. Final budget amount (current estimated value of all monies (potential and real): $10,921,488)
     - PRPL department goal for funding: $15-$16M 
2. Construction methodology: Design/Bid/Build versus Construction Manager at Risk 
     - Preferred: Construction Manager at Risk 
     - If approved, Resolution to Council at the August 24, 2026, meeting 
3. Capital campaign and naming rights 
     - Start sooner than later; ARC as example 
    

Total fiscal effects are unknown at this time. 

City of Billings
Parks, Recreation, and Public Lands Department 
Citizens of Billings
Users of South Park 
Residents of the South Park area 

Council may decide a course of action;
Council may decide not to act which will further stress the facility and lead to a shutdown of the pool;
Council may decide an alternate path for the project.