The Uncertain Future of Hales Corners Park Pool

Hales Corners Park. Photo taken June 21, 2025 by Jake Braund.

Once again this year, to the dismay of the local supervisor and residents, the Hales Corners Park Pool was not on the list of aquatic facilities Milwaukee County Parks would open for the summer.

But Sup. Patti Logsdon is trying, one way or another, to get the pool open next year. But she needs a handful of things to line up perfectly.

The supervisor is pushing a resolution that asks Parks to refill the pool which has been closed since 2019. The fill test will check the pool liner and the filtration systems, making sure everything works. The test is needed to assess if anything needs fixing. The board’s Committee on Parks and Culture unanimously voted to approve the resolution on June 10.

Logsdon told her colleagues the Village of Hales Corners is interested in operating the pool, so long as Parks fills it and fixes anything that’s broken. But that means the village will have to recruit lifeguards and fund operations — provided an agreement is reached between the village and the county.

The village already has experience operating the pool. But it only ever operated it for one season, according to parks.

Parks is currently negotiating a use agreement with the Hales Corners Lions Club for use of the park pavilion. In May, Logsdon released a statement announcing that she thinks the Lions could play a role in fundraising or operations for the pool. She also announced plans to explore developing a non-profit friends group to operate the pool, similar to the one that operates the Friends of Hoyt Park.

There is already an existing friends group for Hales Corners Park run by led by Donald G. Schwartz, who challenged Logsdon for her seat in 2022. Schwartz and Logsdon do not have a working relationship. Logsdon pushed for an audit of the friends group in 2023 after it failed to successfully fundraise for an ice rink, which had received some funding from the county. The group was already audited by Parks from 2016 to 2019.

Logsdon told the county board’s Committee on Parks and Culture earlier this month that she has had discussions with “business people” and “public works people” from the village and they may be able to come up with a solution to reopen the pool. Her resolution suggests some form of public-private cooperation could be developed to open the pool on a part-time basis next summer.

“First of all, we have to find out how much the repairs are going to cost for the pool before we make any kind of commitment,” she said.

Logsdon said the village gave her the green light to pop a nearby fire hydrant and fill the pool with municipal water for free.

Parks opened five outdoor pools this year, not counting the pool in Hoyt Park run by the friends group. Pool openings have been limited in the past by dwindling lifeguard numbers, but the department has managed to improve recruitment in recent years. Even if the lifeguard corps continues to grow, pool openings will still be limited by the department’s budget.

The county is facing a projected $46.7 million budget deficit in 2026. County Executive David Crowley‘s administration has already directed department heads to assess their budgets and prepare for across-the-board budget cuts.

“So with the supervisor looking to creatively see if we can work with the village to operate it, I mean, that’s going to be in our best interest,” said Parks Director Guy Smith.

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