Sioux City sets Aug. 18 public input on proposed Lewis Pool sale and baseball field
Sioux City residents will have a formal opportunity Aug. 18 to comment on Morningside University’s proposal to buy Lewis Park and Lewis Park Pool, demolish the existing pool and build a baseball field on the property.
The public-input meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Seaboard Triumph Foods Expo Center, 550 Expo Center Drive. The city says attendees will receive an overview of the proposal, then have an opportunity to ask questions and provide comments before officials determine next steps.
What Morningside has proposed
The proposal concerns Lewis Park and Lewis Park Pool at 1621 Sioux Trail. Morningside University has proposed acquiring the city property for $350,000. Its July 20 strategic proposal says that amount would be payable over 35 months under a final agreement.
Under the proposal, the 44-year-old Lewis Park Pool would be demolished with private funding. Morningside’s document estimates the demolition at $300,000 and says the university would also privately fund construction of the new baseball facility and planned improvements to its tennis complex.
The proposed baseball-field development would require the closure of Sioux Trail and Laurel Avenue. The university’s proposal also calls for up to $125,000 in completed-project reinvestment for a maintained public green space, including recreational amenities such as pickleball courts. The university says it would maintain the proposed amenities.
Morningside also proposes making its indoor swimming facility available at no cost for the city’s annual Parks & Recreation swim-lesson program, with access and scheduling coordinated each year.
Pool costs and operations are part of the discussion
The city’s public notice says Lewis Pool is past its useful life and ranks third in attendance among the city’s three public pools. It reports that the pool generated $42,878 in revenue, incurred $110,353 in operating expenses and recorded 7,513 admissions in fiscal year 2025.
The city also says it budgeted $100,000 to repaint the pool after the 2026 season and expects an expensive filter-replacement project within five years. Those figures describe the city’s current pool-related considerations; they do not establish that the proposed sale or demolition will occur.
Public input comes before any city decision
The Aug. 18 meeting is not a final vote on the sale and does not mean the city has agreed to transfer the property. The city’s notice describes the session as an opportunity for public review and comment, with feedback to be considered in determining next steps.
Residents can ask questions and submit comments about the proposed property sale, pool demolition, baseball facility, street closures and public green-space plans. The university’s proposal remains subject to due diligence, including site, stormwater, geotechnical and environmental reviews, municipal approvals and construction-cost verification.
No final demolition or construction schedule has been established in the cited materials. The proposal also remains contingent on reaching a workable stormwater and infrastructure outcome and executing definitive agreements.
What happens next
After the public-input process, Sioux City will determine how to proceed. Residents should watch future City Council agendas and meeting materials for formal consideration of a property sale or related city action.
For residents, the proposal could change a city recreation property, remove the existing pool and alter access on nearby streets while adding a baseball facility and publicly accessible green-space amenities. The purchase, demolition, street closures and development all remain proposed rather than approved or completed.
Sources
- City of Sioux City — Lewis Park Public Input Meeting
- Siouxland Public Media — Lewis Pool could be demolished for Morningside baseball stadium
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