Pool closures ripple across South Washington County school district

The Woodbury boys swim team broke the school's record in the 200-yard medley relay during a meet on alumni night this month, with two of the previous record holders watching from the stands.

"That was a pretty cool experience," coach Connor Ross said.

And it may be the last record to fall in the high school's pool.

The pool that's been home to the district's fastest swimmers for some 50 years is slated to close permanently at the end of this season to make way for an expansion of the school's kitchen and cafeteria. It's one of a series of changes coming for Woodbury pools that have long been forecast by the school district as it deals with a space crunch and limited money for maintenance.

The Woodbury High School pool will close forever in March and a second pool at Woodbury Middle School that's been shuttered for several years will be closed permanently. Meanwhile, the Community Pool in St. Paul Park (adjacent to Nuevas Fronteras Spanish Immersion) that's been closed will reopen by April 1.

The moves come as the South Washington County school district wrestles with budget constraints, crowded schools and swim team needs. In addition to Woodbury High, the growing east metro district includes East Ridge and Park high schools, which each have swim teams.

The decisions come several years after a failed $463 million bond referendum in August 2022. A smaller referendum passed in November 2023.

It's not clear if passage would have saved the pools, said school district spokesperson Shawn Hogendorf, but after the first referendum failed, the district reset priorities and opted to close the Woodbury Middle School and high school pools.

When the shuffle is all over, the district says, everyone who has access to a pool now will have access in the future.

"There will not be any cuts to our swimming programs, and all of our swim teams will have a space to practice and compete," read a statement mailed to parents. The Community Pool will be available for community education classes and to other renters, the district statement added.

After the closures at the end of the swim season, the district will have four pool locations: Oltman Middle School in Cottage Grove, Lake Middle School in Woodbury, Cottage Grove Middle School and the Community Pool in St. Paul Park.

The Woodbury High School pool holds dear memories for people like Mark Gates, a 1982 Woodbury High grad who swam, earned All-American status and then a full-ride swimming college scholarship. He credits swimming for his success in the corporate world, and said his fondest memories were the long hours of training with teammates under the eye of longtime swim coach Jerry Simpson.

"It felt like we were training for the Olympics," Gates said. "Those were the days we were taught that the harder you work, the more likely you are going to succeed."

That's true as well for Brenda Stadheim, who shared her family's connection to the Woodbury High School pool in a heartfelt Facebook post that began, "I never thought I would shed a tear for a swimming pool …"

She continued: "This pool has changed the lives of my children." It's where her kids became strong swimmers, where they learned resilience, sportsmanship, and how to manage goals. It was also where they built a community of friends, a community that supported them when Brenda's husband died and they needed help. "We have no desire to say goodbye to this space," she added in her note.

Pool renovation needs piled up

The closures come due to an extensive list of renovation needs at each pool. The six-lane Woodbury Middle School pool has not been in operation for several years and needs a total reconstruction of its main drain and replacements of its filter and boiler. The successful 2023 referendum included $4.4 million to convert the pool into educational space. Restoring the pool and building a 7,750-square-foot addition for educational space could have cost $11.5 million, according to the district.

The Woodbury High School pool, meanwhile, would need reconstruction of its main drain, the pool deck and the replacement of the HVAC unit. The pool's roof also needed to be redone, Hogendorf said.

The district needs additional space for the kitchen and cafeteria, and made the decision to use the pool area at a cost of some $15.5 million to convert it into 30,000 square feet of additional space for the cafeteria and kitchen. The cost includes strong windows and other fortifications that will allow the space to double as a storm shelter, the district said. Keeping and renovating the pool would have cost an additional $6.75 million.

Coach Ross, who said he's not surprised by the pool's closure given the renovation costs, said he and other swim team coaches will work out a schedule to share the available pools. The Woodbury and East Ridge teams will practice at Lake Middle School in Woodbury and hold their meets at Oltman Middle School in Cottage Grove.

The boys who earlier this month set a new record — Grant McElwain, Andrew Qing, Raymond Webb and Derek Stadheim — may be the last to do so at the Woodbury High School pool: The team has its last home meet there against Stillwater on Feb. 6.