St. Cloud City Council to Discuss Possible Sales Tax Funding for YMCA Outdoor Waterpark

(KNSI) – The St. Cloud City Council will discuss the option of using sales tax money to help pay for an outdoor waterpark at the St. Cloud Area Family YMCA.

The item is included in the agenda for Monday’s study session. The council won’t be able to vote or make a final decision on any of the topics raised, but members will receive information, can ask questions, and are able to discuss them. City staff told KNSI News this would be a new sales tax, meaning it would need to be approved by the legislature and by the voters. More details about the request will be released during the work session.

The proposed waterpark would include a large wading pool, slides, and a lazy river.

In July, St. Cloud Y Executive Director Greg Gack told KNSI News they had raised $11 million of the $15 million needed for the project and were making a final push for the remaining $4 million. The Y set a goal of raising the funds by Labor Day 2025 to avoid higher construction costs. That deadline came and went, as did the hopes of a groundbreaking before the end of last year.

It’s unclear how much of the remaining $4 million is needed. It’s also unknown at this time whether the project could move forward without public funding, or what would happen to any donations already made to the project.

Multiple messages sent to St. Cloud Area Family YMCA over the last couple of days weren’t returned in time for publication.

The work session is on Monday at 4:00 p.m. inside St. Cloud City Hall.

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