One of the biggest considerations for the Marshall City Council and staff when planning for the new aquatic center has been determining the best location to place the new facility.

In 2019, the city conducted a study of the current aquatic center facility and its location and determined that access, traffic flow, and parking at the current aquatic center should be addressed. That study stated that the aquatic center, located within Legion Field Park, isn’t visible from West College Drive, so signage is required to find the center. Access can be confusing to the first-time visitor. Within the park, the bicycle path crosses the drive near the aquatic center. This condition causes concern as children riding their bikes on the trail dart across the entry drive, often unaware of cars on the road. Another concern is that the main drive passes directly in front of the building entrance where there are conflicts between people walking across the drive from their parking space, or from people dropping off passengers at the main entry.

In addition, more recent analysis concluded the following:

• The current site cannot accommodate adequately all the new features-zero depth, splash pad, play areas and green space.

• The current site cannot accommodate needed parking. It is estimated that additional parking would cost a minimum of $400,000 to $500,000.

• As noted in the 2019 study, some visitors and newer residents are not aware of that the city has an aquatic center due to its isolated location, the new location provides greater visibility.

• The current site also does not allow for additional entrances in the event of the need for emergency response from multiple agencies.

• A new location allows the city to have continuous operations-while the new aquatic center is being constructed, the existing aquatic center can remain open.

• The existing location will be decommissioned and available to meet the demand for new and different expectations and goals. For example, the city has begun discussions on exploring the repurposing of the site for placement of dedicated pickleball courts.

• The new location could be ideal for future partnerships with the YMCA in terms of shared programming and staff. Programming could include morning lap swimming and lazy river walking, programs that are now not being provided due to the current facility.

• Sounds of Summer does not have a dedicated site for its annual community celebration. A new site will meet the needs of hosting the Sounds of Summer for the foreseeable future.

These reasons led the city to select a proposed location at the intersection of Highway 19/West College Drive and Saratoga Street (adjacent to Schwan’s Corporate Headquarters and Marshall Area YMCA). This site has several advantages in addition to the reasons listed above, including:

• Ample space to locate additional water features and play structures.

• Ground area to ensure green space/lawn resting areas are provided within the aquatic center.

• Allowable space to ensure stormwater can be treated prior to entering the storm water system, thereby complying with Minnesota Pollution Control requirements.

• Ability to ensure the entrance is located near the southern portion of the property with a drop-off lane that avoids the traffic of the adjacent streets and increasing safety of pedestrians and bicyclists.

• The ability to use the parking lot located next to the property that will result in the city not having to construct a new parking lot.

The current aquatic center and Legion Field Park in which it is located has a long and important history. In the early 20th century, Marshall American Legion purchased the 21-acre site with the stipulation that the site be used a park forever. The city of Marshall has committed the current aquatic site for park purposes as intended while at the same time providing for a modern, up-to-date aquatic center at new site that will serve families for decades to come.

— Sharon Hanson is the city administrator for the city of Marshall