The Iowa City Community School District is considering reducing its $14 million contribution to the new, yet-to-be-built Coralville Recreation Center as it continues to wrestle with budget issues.
The district previously committed to the project in 2023.
The estimated $50 to $55 million Coralville Rec Center, meant to replace the current 50-year-old facility, is expected to include a lap pool, a recreational pool, and a competition pool with elevated seating, locker rooms, and deck space.
ICCSD’s original contribution would fund 90 percent of the competition pool and 15 percent of the lap pool, since the local district would be the primary users of the competition pool, according to chief operating officer Curt Pratt.
37-year-old Coralville pool has partnered with ICCSD for nearly 40 years
Coralville Recreation has maintained a partnership with the district since the pool opened in 1987, allowing area junior high and high school swim programs to use the current Coralville Rec Center in ST Morrison Park.
The Iowa City School Community School District has four swim programs that use the facility, including Iowa City West High and Iowa City Liberty.
The district pays about one-third of the operating costs under an agreement from the 1980s.
ICCSD school board members are concerned with the significant commitment to the new facility and the district’s ability to fund the project.
If the district decides to withdraw its investment from the rec center, it may consider renting pool time from the University of Iowa or sharing the Mercer Park pool with the City High swim team.
Superintendent Matt Degner said during the April 28 school board meeting that the alternatives come with challenges, and the district might struggle to maintain its swim offerings at all three high schools.
“I don’t want to end swimming at West and Liberty,” said board director Lisa Williams. “I don’t think we know how much, if any, we have to spend on a pool.
Coralville continues to move forward with their designs, and they’re making decisions.”
The City of Coralville plans to build the rec center regardless of Iowa City CSD’s financial support, but without the local district’s commitment, the facility might not include a competition pool, Coralville City Manager Kelly Hayworth said.
ICCSD financial crisis impacts rec center commitment
The latest school board debate comes amid a financial crisis that began unraveling in January, after the board retroactively approved a $10 million interfund loan.
In June 2025, the ICCSD board of directors voted to greenlight the district’s $104.6 million facilities masterplan, which includes the $14 million investment in the Coralville Recreation Center along with three new, independent fieldhouses at each of the city’s public high schools.
The $14 million investment was slated to be funded through SAVE, which the district’s financial adviser has said is already leveraged through 2039.
An updated rec center and swim team alternatives
The new Coralville Recreation Center is expected to be modern and significantly bigger. Plans for the two-story, 109,700-square-foot building (compared to the current 37,000-square-foot facility) also include three gymnasiums, a spa, community meeting rooms, and fitness rooms.
Losing the competition pool will likely delay the project, but the district plans to pursue a scaled-down design for the competition pool.
Resolution would halt major ICCSD projects
District leadership admitted they plan to pause ongoing facility projects due to the financial uncertainty.
Directors Finch and Lingo presented a resolution that requires a financial review and reprioritization from the board before facility projects move forward.
Ultimately, the plan “places a pause on facilities funding by the board,” Lingo said.
The resoultion won’t impact “life cycle items,” which includes infrastructure work like roof, HVAC and electrical systems repairs.
The plan would pause fieldhouse and performing arts upgrades at Liberty and West High Schools, while projects already under construction aren’t allowed proceed to the next stage without board approval.
Projects currently under construction include improvements to baseball and softball fields, upgrades to the auditorium at City High School, and preschool remodels at Penn and Wood elementary schools.
The board will vote on the resolution in May.
“Now, we have to decide what’s broke,” Lingo said. “What needs to be fixed? What can we afford?”
Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and education reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached at JRish@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @rishjessica_
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: What less ICCSD funding could mean for Coralville’s new indoor pool
Reporting by Jessica Rish, Iowa City Press-Citizen / Iowa City Press-Citizen
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