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Council sets $50,000 placeholder for pool repairs as longer-term funding debate continues
Summary
After hearing that current pool repair needs exceed prior estimates, council agreed to use $50,000 as a placeholder in the preliminary Park & Rec 2026 budget and asked staff to identify cuts, levy options or outside funding while exploring longer-term rec center possibilities.
Crookston City council members and Parks & Recreation staff agreed on a $50,000 placeholder for pool repairs in the city’s preliminary 2026 Park & Recreation budget, while continuing a larger debate over how to fund the facility long term.
Scott, the park and rec director, told the council that repairs and building maintenance lines were likely insufficient and that he had “been around the the $50,000 mark” in his planning: “My my head has been the last few weeks has been around the the $50,000 mark,” he said. Staff and councilors discussed the costs of immediate maintenance (filters, heat exchangers and other recurring repairs) and a longer-term capital assessment previously estimated at roughly $1.2 million, described in the meeting transcript as an older assessment figure.
Council members pushed for a realistic operating number rather than a conservatively low line that would require repeated midyear intervention. One councilor said the city should “set the budget where we actually think we’re gonna need for the expenses” and, if necessary, increase the levy rather than cutting essential services. Staff agreed to insert $50,000 for pool repairs in the preliminary budget as a placeholder and to return with specifics on where cuts would be made or how a levy change might be structured.
The council also discussed parallel measures to reduce operating pressure on the pool, including fundraising from community groups, grant options and potential future ballot or survey measures to test appetite for a broader recreation center that would house a pool and other community amenities. Staff said they will follow up with the EDA and other partners about available grants and community engagement to assess longer-term options.
The council did not take a final vote on a permanent funding source at the meeting; the $50,000 figure was adopted as the working preliminary number to be included in the 2026 Park & Recreation budget and to focus follow-up work.
