Fergus Falls, MN – On Tuesday afternoon (May 28th), the City of Fergus Falls held the official groundbreaking ceremony for the Fergus Falls Aquatic Center in Roosevelt Park.
The $10.8 million project will feature a zero-depth entry pool, waterslide, a four-lane lap swimming pool, changing rooms and showers, lockers and a concession area.
The location of the Aquatic Center was determined by the City Council with input from the task force and consultants who have been working on the project since 2016, and was approved by the voters in 2022.
Mayor Ben Schierer kicked off the ceremony with a few words and introduced Senator Jordan Rasmusson to speak.
Rasmusson talked about how difficult it can be in the current political climate to get things built, “Oh this isn’t the right project, it’s not the right time, it’s not done the right way; there’s so many ways you can get to ‘no’. I just want to congratulate the community of Fergus Falls and the broader community on getting to a collective ‘yes’ on this project.”
Mayor Schierer then took over again and thanked all of the people who helped get the project going over the last few years, including Bridget Leonard, one of the members of the task force that has been working to make this project happen for 13 years.
Bridget said, “I know sometimes we can have some negativity around our town, but I just see so much positive things happening. I’m so proud of our community, I love our little gem here. We’ve got Otter Cove, the library, the Riverfront, just so many beautiful things happening.”
The facility is scheduled to open by Memorial Day 2025.