Apollo Officials Working on Plans for New Indoor Athletic Facility

Earlier this month voters approved a pair of referendum questions. Question #1 asked for $50 million to make updates to Apollo High School including a safe and secure entrance, a storm shelter/gymnasium, fire safety upgrades, science labs, fine arts programming, among other improvements. Question #2 asked for $15 million to build an indoor multipurpose athletic facility on the Apollo campus with a full-size turf field and a walking track.

Apollo Principal Justin Skaalerud and Activities Director Karl Heine have begun preparing for how the new indoor Athletic Facility will look. Skaalerud indicates after numerous meetings it was determined St. Cloud could use an indoor turf field for sports year round.  He says the uses of this new facility include playing a soccer game, a lacrosse game, 2 softball games at the same time, and 4 golf simulators.  Skaalerud says the facility will be used by the school district and will be available to the community as well.  The field isn't large enough to be used for football or varsity baseball.  Heine says it could be used for youth baseball because the field size is similar to a softball field.

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Skaalerud says the field could be used for practices with inclement weather for numerous teams.  He says he doesn't anticipate the indoor facility to be used for basketball or hockey but some facilities of similar size do use it for that.  Skaalerud says this facility would have the ability to host gymnastics, basketball or hockey if someone were to choose to bring the necessary equipment in.

Skaalerud says there are facilities similar in Minnesota as to what they expect to build in St. Cloud.  This includes facilities in Mankato at Bethany Lutheran, in New Ulm and in Rogers.  The Bethany Lutheran structure has 66,800 square footage.  It was constructed in 2021.  Heine says they have plans to visit both the facility in Mankato and New Ulm.

Who will be using the St. Cloud facility isn't completely clear yet. Certainly District 742 schools will be using the field for Tech, Apollo and St. Cloud Crush activities.  Skaalerud says numerous St. Cloud area organizations have reached out showing interest in the facility.  He says school district sports will have priority.

St. Cloud School Superintendent Laurie Putnam says they don't have a date for breaking ground to construct the multipurpose athletic facility but it would likely start either this fall or winter.  She says construction crews could continue work through the winter with a possible opening in the summer of 2026.  Putnam expects parking to be added to the facility to the east of where the facility will be built on the southside of the Apollo campus near Veterans Drive.  She says permits need to be pulled for these construction projects and that process can be lengthy.

If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Justin and Karl, it is available below.