Vacant Minneapolis pool to teach valuable lessons

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - You could say it's a time capsule in all the wrong ways -- stained tiles, abandon lane markers and pool rules old enough to remember Michael Phelps without the medals.

Dana Murdoch is the woman in charge of turning this sunken mess into a pool at the Phillips Community Center. With a $5.4 million budget, the plan is to fix up the 6-lane pool and also add a smaller 4-lane pool.

On Monday, the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation board held their final public meeting before work begins next year. Along with swim meets and a space for fun and games, planners hope the pool will also save lives. Swimming lessons and water safety education are two of the main reasons the pool is coming together – to address the inability to swim, a growing problem for many families in Minneapolis.