Resident urges city to preserve swim programming at Wellness Campus

Kurt Lickas, a long‑time Indianola resident and former swim coach, told the City Council at its April 7 meeting that he is worried the Wellness Campus’s recent decision to terminate its association with a youth swim team has reduced opportunities for children to learn water‑safety and lifesaving skills.

Lickas said he has been involved in local swimming since 1999 and coached the Indianola Swim Club when it had about 125 swimmers. He said participation linked to the Wellness Campus had fallen to “around 45” while the campus itself maintained more staffing than communities had when larger programs ran at other pools. “It’s imperative to me that we keep swimming a viable option here,” he said.

Lickas told councilors the pool’s location makes it less convenient for the local school system but that “there’s a lot of creative ways to work around that” and encouraged better coordination among the school district, Simpson College and community partners. He asked councilors to stay visible about resources and participation numbers and offered to provide additional information or help plan next steps.

Mayor and councilors thanked Lickas and asked staff to follow up about recent meetings concerning the pool. The council did not take any formal action on swim programming during the meeting; Lickas’s remarks were made during the public‑comment period.

Lickas’s remarks followed other agenda items and were part of public comment; no policy change or funding decision was made during the session.

Ending: Council members asked staff to follow up with Lickas and other stakeholders; the transcript records no formal motion or vote tied to his remarks.