The Mount Vernon City Council tabled any action on the pool committee and parks and recreation commission’s recommendation for a new aquatic center.
Both committees agreed with option A for the pool, an outdoor pool with separate lap swimming pool and recreational pool that would be constructed at Davis Pool.
City administrator Chris Nosbisch said the committees both recommended not pursuing a splash pad as part of the pool, noting the proximity of other splash pads in adjacent communities and the $1.3 million price tag.
That still leaves a price tag of roughly $12 million for the new aquatic center design.
Nosbisch said the soonest that the city could even consider bonding for a project like the pool is still a few years away. If they were to bond the total $12 million for this project, it would also tap the entire city’s debt capacity for the next 20 years. The cost would potentially raise the levy rate $3.80 per $1,000 for citizens and drastically impact the tax burden.
That also doesn’t take into consideration other capital improvement projects being investigated, including a new streetscape project for First Street and obligations to another community need – childcare resources, which the city has obligated $2 million to Mount Vernon Schools for any project that might tackle that need.
Nosbisch said the project runs into issues if you attempt to phase in a new pool, as phasing the project would focus on a lap pool first. That would amount to a pool with no amenities for children or no areas for small children to play.
“My recommendation is we leave this as a $12 million project and work on letting the community do some fundraising to offset the costs of this project,” Nosbisch said.
City council member Craig Engel asked how quickly the Lester Buresh Family Community Wellness Center received private funding, and Nosbisch said that an initial donation of $1 million was made very quickly.
Nosbisch said that this project might struggle to reach donation goals as quickly, as it doesn’t have buy-in from groups like the school or Cornell. Still, private donations or funding for the project could help it progress sooner. Council member Paul Tuerler noted with projects completing for the sports center, activity complex and other buildings, private donors might be looking for the next local project to fund.
Addressing current issues for the poolNosbisch said knowing a new aquatic center may be eight or more years away from being something the city can fiscally cover, there are a few areas that need to be addressed at the current aquatic center for safety.
“We knew that even as we were doing the study on the aquatic center, we were going to have to make some improvements to the pool in subsequent years,” Nosbisch said. “We’re dealing with the fact the pool has reached well past it’s life expectancy and any project we tackle has the chance to damage or impact the pool’s basin.”
Gutters and diving boards need to be replaced and metal is wearing through on some of the slides.
Nosbisch said they didn’t tackle certain improvements ahead of the study to get a fair assessment of the facility as it stands, but those safety concerns need to be addressed before the pool opens next year. An estimated $1 to $1.5 million will help the current aquatic center last for additional years.
Council member Scott Rose asked if closing the pool for a few seasons would allow the city to tackle a new aquatic center quicker.
Nosbisch explained that would not speed up the process because the funding comes from two separate funds that do not commingle. As well, it’s frowned upon for cities to save tax dollars for projects when they could use long term borrowing instead.
“What we’re staring at is an expensive facility on top of other projects we need to tackle in the next few years,” Nosbisch said.
Parks and recreation director Matt Siders recommended Waters Edge return to prioritize the repairs needed for the current aquatic center to extend the life of the pool.
Council discussionEngel noted that the message from the community is very clear – they want a new pool and know it will cost a lot of money to tackle the project. He praised the work of Waters Edge Aquatic Center for the study and guidance, giving the council a direction.
Council member Stephanie West agreed, noting the work of the pool committee and the parks and recreation board in the recommendations.
Tuerler said it was a similar project and situation to the city was facing with the possible construction of the fire department or community center when he was mayor.
“Back then we were considering splitting the funding between the fire station and to the community center,” Tuerler said. “It made no sense for me that we would split the money when we had a shovel ready project with the fire station, but I didn’t want to take everything for that project and not leave seed money to help the community center project. As a council, we have to do things that make fiscal and common sense.”
Tuerler said that the numbers for this aquatic center truly stun him, but he understands the importance of an amenity like a pool to attracting people to the community.
“The important thing for this council to remember is we may not be the ones who make a decision on this pool,” Tuerler said. “We may be the seed planters, the ones who have the idea we’re all working towards, but this decision could be made by councils years in the future.”
Citizen Keith Huebner said raising taxes by nearly $4 per $1,000 would drastically impact his tax bill. He noted discussion on helping low to moderate income individuals in the community and discussing such a significant tax increase for one project is not welcoming to the community. He suggested easing restrictions on businesses that can be built in Mount Vernon and would add to the city’s tax base, as it is currently a headache to build in Mount Vernon compared to neighboring Lisbon.