MOORHEAD, Minn. (Valley News Live) – The Romkey Park swimming pool was built in 1958, and last fall the city of Moorhead received $5 million in federal funding to build a new pool.

The money is coming from the Department of the Interior/National Park Services to help pay for the project. $4 million from the general fund and $2.3 million in tax-exempt funds will help the city foot the bill. The entire project will cost $11.3 million.

“This pool is 66 years old. Some of the employees had to make parts themselves because they can’t buy them anymore. This is going to reinvent the whole Moorhead neighborhood,” said Moorhead Mayor Shelly Carlson.

U.S. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar both spoke at Thursday’s event. It was originally supposed to be a groundbreaking ceremony, but because of the weather it was moved to the Hjemkomst Center. City officials shared all that it will have to offer, including a swimming pool with diving boards and a slide. A splash pad, a skate park, traditional and natural playgrounds and a sledding hill. There will also be pickleball courts, new trails and walkways and more.

The Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) grant was created by Congress in 2014 as a competitive grant program through the Department of the Interior’s Land and Wildlife Conservation Fund. Administered by the National Park Service, the grant can be used to fund a range of outdoor recreation improvements. Previously, only cities with populations of 50,000 or more could apply. In 2022, the grant was made available to smaller communities.

To celebrate, there will be free pool access all day on Friday, August 16. There will also be a bouncy castle, garden games and free food while supplies last. All activities and pool opening begin at 1:00 p.m.

The opening of the new pool is planned for summer 2026.

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