Council panel looks at aquatics center

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Something completely different in the way of summer recreation may be coming to Van Wert if local residents embrace a plan for a new aquatics center presented Monday evening during a meeting of Van Wert City Council’s Parks and Recreation Committee.

Larry Brandstetter of Brandstetter Carroll Inc., a company that has designed and built swimming pools nationwide, provided information on a proposal to construct a $3 million aquatics center that would include interactive play features, a toddler play area, a “spray-ground” water recreation area, water slides, a competitive pool with two diving boards, shade structures, a pavilion, bathhouse and tables with umbrellas, among other features (click here for three possible plans for the facility).

According to Mayor Don Farmer, the aquatics center would be located on a 10-acre site adjacent to the city soccer fields and near Smiley Park along the north side of Woodland Avenue.

Brandstetter said the aquatics center concept can’t be compared to a normal swimming pool. “You come in and you do something completely different: new, fresh, clean activities keep it up to date,” he said of an aquatics center.

Brandstetter said aquatics centers are also much better for bringing in people than a traditional swimming pool, noting that an aquatics center his company built in a low-income area of Cincinnati had 1,200 people there on Labor Day, while a free swimming pool nearby had just six people.

To fund construction, City Council would need to approve placing a 1.2-mill, 25-year levy on the May 2013 primary election ballot. Council took the first step Monday with a straw vote to have Law Director John Hatcher prepare legislation to authorize the ballot issue.

If the levy is passed, those who own a $50,000 home would pay an additional $18.90 in property taxes a year, while those who own a $100,000 house would pay $37.80 in additional taxes annually. That comes to approximately 73 cents a week.

Unlike the last attempt to build an aquatic complex back in 2004, this time only city residents will be voting on the project. The 2004 ballot issues were proposed by the Van Wert County Parks District, which meant that all county voters needed to approve that proposal.

While those levies were defeated, the vote was much closer in the city, than outside Van Wert.

The project got a big financial boost from local attorney Chuck Koch, who noted during the meeting that a number of local businesses have pledged more than $1 million to provide a maintenance fund for the aquatics complex. A separate campaign is planned to provide additional operating funds for the center.

Brandstetter said he was impressed with the local financial support from businesses. “I have never seen a situation like Mr. Koch has presented to you tonight where citizens have said they would come forward with an endowment for future capital improvements in order to make this project a reality,” he noted. “That’s very unusual, but I want to commend him for that.”

Questions also arose from Council members on whether a new aquatics center would compete with existing facilities at the YMCA and YWCA.

Larry Bowersock, a 41-year employee of the YMCA and its former executive director, said he felt it would enhance those organizations’ facilities, which don’t have as much swimming-oriented programs in the summer because of the temperature in an indoor swimming facility.

He also noted that, of the eight teams in summer swimming program in which the local YMCA competes, only Van Wert does not have an outdoor swimming facility.

“We’re probably one of the only communities our size that doesn’t have an outside facility,” he said, adding, “I think the outside facility and the Y program would be cohesive.”

Meanwhile, fundraising efforts will continue to provide even more donated dollars to the proposed facility, while City Council would need to adopt legislation to place the issue on the ballot prior to February 6.