The Lenexa Planning Commission approved preliminary and final plans for reconstructing Ad Astra Park and Pool.
On Monday, the commission by a 5-0 vote approved plans for the major reconstruction project on the northeast corner of 83rd Street and Maurer Road.
The plans include rebuilding the pool and parking lot, installing new trail connections and constructing several new structures, including restrooms, a bathhouse and concession stalls.
Commissioners Brenda Macke, Curt Katterhenry and Don Horine were absent.
The project is slated to cost $10 million, including $8 million for the pool rebuild and $2 million for other exterior improvements. Most of that will be paid for with proceeds from the city’s 3/8-cent sales tax.
The pool will be a new rebuild
Originally opening in 1988, Ad Astra Pool has encountered a number of problems over the years, including the settlement of the pool itself, officials said.
It has long been in need of reconstruction and a new design, Logan Wagler, Lenexa’s parks and recreation director, said in a previous interview.
Last summer, Lenexa Parks and Recreation presented four concepts for a new pool and hosted public feedback sessions at which residents could give their input and say which concept they liked the most.
The department then made more tweaks to the plan and narrowed the choice down to two designs, on which residents voted.
“The one that (the public) saw [Monday] tonight on the pool area, that was the clear winner,” Wagler said. “(The public) made a great selection and we were very happy with the design.”
Some of the proposed pool’s new features include:
- Large zero–depth entry area with shade
- Underwater bench seating
- Three 25–yard lap lanes for swimming
- A deeper water area with two diving boards
- A 180–foot current channel, similar to a lazy river
- And large shade areas
Ad Astra Park will see other changes
The parking lot at the park will also undergo changes, with spaces set to be reduced from 189 to 158.
Parking will be also be changed from angled spots to 90-degree spaces, with wider driving aisles running both ways.
Switching from one-way aisles to two-way should help with the flow of traffic and help with parents who use the parking lot to drop off and pick their kids up from neighboring Christa McAuliffe Elementary, Wagler said.
“We think the design makes it way more accessible to drop off and pick up kids here from the school,” he said. “We’ve got a better drive lane with closer parking to the school, a direct trail on a much closer situation to connect the school. So that was something that was really important to us and important to the community as well.”
In addition, the park will also have 16 spaces for bicycle parking, new parking lot lighting and landscaping.
This is Lenexa’s 2nd pool rebuild in recent years
Coming off the heels of the renovated Sar-Ko-Par Aquatic Center re-opening in 2024, the city is aiming for a different feel for Ad Astra Pool.
The pool at Ad Astra is intended to have a calmer, more neighborhood atmosphere, Wagler said in a previous interview.
“We didn’t want to compete with Sar-Ko-Par,” Wagler said. “We wanted to do something completely different.”
The Planning Commission had feedback
The planning commission had mostly positive things to say about the proposed concept Monday.
“Everything about the project has really exceeded expectations, and the (interaction) with the neighborhood and the citizens has been outstanding,” Commissioner Ben Harber said.
While Vice Chair Mike Burson said the park was “thoughtful,” he didn’t like the placement of solar panels on the roof of the pool’s new administration, concession and bathhouse structures.
“This image that you have up right now [the image above] does not look very good,” he said. “It looks as if it’s going to be a very exposed industrial set of racks of solar panels. If we saw this on a private business, I would be saying the same thing.”
What’s next
The Lenexa City Council will consider the preliminary and final plans for the park at its meeting on Feb. 18.
The old Ad Astra Park pool has already been demolished.
If approved, construction on the new pool is expected to begin early this summer and wrap up before its anticipated opening on Memorial Day weekend in 2026.
Go deeper: Lenexa wants public’s input on rebuilt Ad Astra Pool — Here are 4 proposed options
