Board hears pleas to save pools as administration recommends converting Edison Middle School pool to gym

The Green Bay Area Public School District spent much of a March 9 work session weighing whether to keep district pools open or repurpose underused facilities to close a mounting budget gap.

“Swimming is our home,” said Lily Mills, a junior at Green Bay East High School, during public comment, asking the board to preserve the Edison and Southwest pools used nightly by youth and high‑school teams. Parents, coaches and students told the board the pools support competitive teams, lifeguard certification and community swim lessons previously offered by partner organizations.

Administrators told the board Edison’s pool is rarely used during the school day — participation in physical education swim units falls from roughly 60–70% at sixth grade to a small fraction by eighth — and community rentals historically accounted for less than about 12% of available pool hours. Operations staff estimated Edison’s water‑related operating costs at roughly $65,000 a year and an annual operating loss near $52,000–$55,000 after rental income. They also identified pending pool‑specific capital needs (filtration and mechanical systems) they said could total roughly $635,000 if not addressed.

Given those figures, operations staff recommended converting the Edison pool footprint into an auxiliary gymnasium to make better use of building space for physical education, intramurals and co‑curricular teams. The administration proposed funding the one‑time conversion cost (administration’s current estimate: about $1.5 million) with contingency funds from the 2024 referendum program; a hypothetical construction completion window presented to the board was fall 2028.

Administration emphasized transition planning for community swim partners. “We are exploring options to consolidate swim programming at Southwest and to work with Green Bay United and Green Bay Swim Club to find alternatives,” an operations presentation said.

Board members and public speakers flagged trade‑offs. Several board members echoed parents’ concerns that consolidating pools would complicate scheduling and could limit club growth and community access. Parent Kelly Row described the emotional toll on student athletes if pools are lost, while other board members urged thorough planning to avoid eroding programs that keep families in the district.

The item was presented as a recommendation for further study and potential modeling, not as a finalized vote; board direction was requested for staff to provide additional details and options at upcoming meetings. The district’s packet and staff presentation included utilization data, estimated operating and capital costs, and a proposed funding source for conversion.