There was much community enthusiasm leading up to the first season at Pierre’s new Outdoor Pool, and that enthusiasm continued right through the swim season.
In a presentation provided to the Pierre City Commission at their Jan. 14 meeting, Bryan Tipton, City Parks and Recreation Director, reported the pool had 49,798 users during its inaugural season.
“We knew the community was excited for the new pool,” said Tipton. “When we totaled up the numbers for our first season, we were still pleasantly surprised.”
Tipton added that in 2024 the pool sold 623 individual season passes, 747 family season passes and about 14,500 daily passes.
“I think the daily pass numbers were the most enlightening. We saw busloads of people coming in from out of town; those daily pass number speak, at least somewhat, to the number of visitors the new pool brought to Pierre,” said Tipton.
When taking office in 2017, Mayor Steve Harding made it a priority to replace Pierre’s nearly 100-year-old outdoor public pool.
“The community had been asking for a new outdoor pool for years,” said Harding. “I’m so pleased with the final product and so proud of the team who made it possible.”
“I’m not sure a day went by this summer when someone didn’t personally thank me, thank the city, for the new pool. It was a big lift, but if you saw all those happy faces splashing around this summer, you know it’s worth it!”
The Pierre outdoor pool opened its doors for the first time on Memorial Day 2024. During the outdoor swim season, an average of 500 people visited the pool’s heated waters each day. The complex features 19,000 square feet of water surface including a lazy river, two pools, three slides, a high dive and expanded concessions.