When it came to weighing in on the aquatic center feasibility study, this community delivered.
Laura Ozburn with Water’s Edge Aquatic Design noted that she saw an increase in the number of participants in the second survey from 499 to roughly 650.
“Usually when we see increased involvement in a survey, it’s because it’s people who are opposed to the project moving forward,” Ozburn said. “That wasn’t the case here. You had participants who were very passionate about these different projects.”
Part of that is the city of Mount Vernon and Lisbon knowing how important the pool is to the community. After all, the current pool has lasted more than 60 years with very few catastrophic failures, something that is unheard of in many other communities.
That 60-year-old pool is showing its’ age, however, and the study bears that out. Roughly 54 percent of those who participated in the survey noted they have gone to other facilities because of amenities provided, hours or other items.
This study gives the Mount Vernon City Council a lot to chew on as they start exploring what the best options might be for a new pool that’s going to serve the interests of the community for the next 60 years.
And engaged citizens providing their take and what they hope to see in any new aquatic center, whether that be kids activities, swimming lessons, swim team or adult recreation opportunities, made it clear that conducting this study and vetting all ideas was the best option.
Sun Editorial: Aquatic center study gives MV council a lot to consider
April 13, 2023