We moved here in 2010, and I remember hearing rumblings back then about the outdated pool but that many residents used and loved it. Not to mention that Boulder City. Has supported and home-grown some great athlete swimmers such as champion swimmer Zane Grothe, who have trained there.
But for reasons we don’t have the full back-story on, the local municipal pool is apparently beyond repair and back in 2021 a design was developed which was voted on and approved by the City Council.
The ad-hoc pool committee was formed in 2019 after a failed ballot measure which proposed a larger aquatic center with facilities beyond a pool. That ballot question contained a funding provision of a $40 million bond attached to it, and voters rejected it soundly.
One can find reference to the ideas of candidates or council members talking about improving the pool as far back as 2015.
The current aquatic center/pool design was developed by the ad-hoc pool committee formed in 2019 by then Councilmember Kiernan McManus who also served on the committee in a non-voting capacity along with one other council member. The group was made up seven appointed community members all who have experience with projects in construction, swimming events and recreation or financial backgrounds.
The sum of their work is the current design. It has 10-lanes for lap swimming for student athletes and swim meets, and will be used daily (as it currently is) by residents who use the pool as their primary workout method. That portion of the pool fits on essentially the same footprint as the current pool.
Then there will be a secondary smaller pool which will be used by lane walkers or those who prefer a shorter swim in shallow waters and for aquatics workouts. Each pool will have their own heating systems. The smaller pool can be kept warmer, which makes it more beneficial to our seasoned citizens. Then the larger workout pool can be kept at a cooler temperature which is the preference of those swimmers.
The facility is at least 44 years old, and the staff does a really amazing job of upkeep considering the antiquated systems they are working with. When talking with staff, they say what they have does an excellent job of filtering the water, but the equipment is all stored open in the same filtration area, and that isn’t to normal standards anymore. The rust built up around the equipment tells the story.
Funding Sources
If one looks at the funding sources, there is no bond attached to this measure and there are good controls around what this ballot question is asking for. Voters have already approved spending $7 million on the pool back in 2021. We also approved the sale of land in what is known as Tract 350 around the golf course and that a significant portion of those funds are to be used for the pool. So, two incremental funding approvals have already been made by the voters and there are tight controls around those funds. They literally now can’t be used for any purpose other than a pool unless approved by us, the voting public.
The original design has been completed and approved by everyone and thoughtfully designed with the needs of the community at the forefront. What has happened is inflation. (anyone wishing for a crystal ball from back in 2019?) Initially the cost of the pool design was estimated at $27 million back in 2021. Three years later it’s now up to approximately $36 million, a 39% increase.
What the City staff and City Council are asking the voters to approve is this $9 million dollars in additional funding to fill in the gap and get the project started. Funds would come from the Capital Improvement Fund and be earmarked specifically for this project. If approved, they cannot be used for any other purpose unless they are approved by US, the voting public.
If the economy improves and costs go down, any excess monies must be returned to the Capital Improvement Fund.
Directly quoted from the Sample Ballot:
- A “YES” vote would allow the City of Boulder City to expend available funds from the Capital Improvement Fund in the amount of up to Nine Million Dollars ($9,000,000.00) in addition to the Seven Million Dollars ($7,000,000.00) previously approved by the voters in 2021 for the purpose of funding a swimming pool recreational project.
- A “NO” vote would not allow the City of Boulder City to expend an additional Nine Million Dollars ($9,000,000.00) of available funds from the Capital Improvement Fund for the purpose of funding a swimming pool recreational project
This community has discussed this project for a long time. It’s generated a lot of passionate points of view. Enough voters clearly want the project to continue because two other measures for funding have already been approved, with those funds sitting and waiting. We’ve been at this a long time. For some perspective, the modern marvel of Hoover Dam was built in FIVE YEARS.
Maybe we can figure out how to fund a pool in the same amount of time – we’ve been at it since at least 2019 but have reached no meaningful consensus. We will see what this November brings.
