City seeks feedback on Northview Pool,
former city library building

Open houses slated for this month for pool and library

By Jake Spitzack | Staff Writer | March 2025

The city’s nearly 70-year-old Northview Pool is on the brink of permanent closure due to deteriorated mechanical systems, but city staff are hopeful they can squeeze at least one more summer out of the popular waterpark. In mid-February, the South St. Paul City Council held a work session to discuss design options for the future of the City’s aquatic facilities, which include replacing Northview Pool or expanding the aquatic facilities at Lorraine Park. Community feedback for the updated plans will be gathered at an open house, held 5-7 p.m., Wednesday, Mar. 19, at Kaposia Library. The City is working with JLG Architects to develop its approximately $89,000 pool feasibility and design study.

Regardless of which plan moves forward, one major hurdle stands in the way of its construction: funding. Last spring, the city requested $500,000 in state funding for the design of a new outdoor swimming pool and aquatics center to replace the Northview Pool but did not receive it. As part of the feasibility study, staff will be seeking input on the level of financial support voters are willing to provide to help cover construction costs.
Northview Pool was closed during the COVID summers of 2020 and 2021, and upon reopening in 2022
staff noticed the water level was decreasing faster than usual. In 2023, it was found that the 250,000-gallon pool was losing an astonishing 12,000 gallons a day due to extensive leaks and broken pipes – costing the city about $150 a day in water usage fees; $20,000 for a pool season. It was also found that all the mechanical systems were at the end of their useful life. Last spring, several repairs were done to prevent water loss, but mechanical systems were deemed too costly to replace. According to the city’s Parks Master Plan and Buildings & Facilities Master Plan, both completed by consultants in 2024, the estimated cost to fully repair the pool is just under $2 million.

Northview Pool has several amenities, including a diving board and climbing wall, and has long been an oasis for open swim, swim lessons and pool parties. The other city-owned aquatic facility is the 15,000-gallon Splash Pool at Lorraine Park, 756 3rd Ave. S. It dates to 1993.

American Legion Library
New History, the City of South St. Paul’s consultant for the adaptive reuse feasibility study for the former city library building at 106 Third Ave. N., is hosting an open house 5:30-7:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 27 at the old library site to present reuse ideas and garner more feedback. New History created the options after receiving community feedback during the On the Road Again festival, at the South St. Paul Farmers Market and senior citizens’ Thanksgiving dinner, and through an online survey. According to the data, residents expressed a strong desire to retain the building for public use, although they acknowledged it needs upgrades, including ADA accessibility and more parking. Nearly 300 people gave feedback, and eight overarching preferences emerged. From most voted to least, they are multi-use building, commercial/private event space, arts and cultural building, educational space, connection to Lawshe Museum, recreation or community center, restaurant, something else, and housing.

The nearly 12,000 square-foot building dates to 1927 and has about $4.42 million in deferred maintenance items recommended to be addressed by 2032, $1.82 million of which are recommended for replacement by 2026. Big ticket items include boiler and roof replacement, and significant exterior brick restoration. The $150,000 adaptive reuse feasibility study is being covered by a $175,000 grant from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), which was secured last year.

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