to redevelop the site for a new aquatics facility, utilize existing structures, parking lots, ... might programming occu
Public aquatics has been a component of the City’s fabric for over 100 years. Over the past two decades, five pools serving the greater Wisconsin Rapids area have closed. Today, not a single municipal facility remains. The City understands the social, recreational and educational importance of public, universal access to swimming pools. As such, the City is committed to restoring the public access to aquatics our residents have come to expect. To date, a potential partnership with the YMCA for access to an indoor aquatics facility and cityrun outdoor options have been presented. Your questions and feedback have prompted this response to frequently asked questions document to better clarify the two paths. The City Council will establish a ‘path forward’ at a special Common Council meeting on August 18th. Questions may still be posed to
[email protected]. Alderpersons and I continue to welcome your feedback and questions.
How much does the city anticipate spending on aquatics? A new aquatics facility will
require both capital to construct and a budget to operate annually. Regardless of the preference indoor or outdoor generally new aquatics facilities serving a city or regional scale cost a minimum of $5 million. How might the city go about financing the investment? The city would borrow over the course of 20 years to pay back the capital investment. Further, historically low interest rates make the timing right! What would the property tax impact be? On a $100,000 property, it is estimated the impact to be approximately $33.80 per year, for 20 years. What locations are under consideration? With the YMCA’s indoor facility option, two locations 16th Street & Pepper Ave as part of a redevelopment of its existing facility and Hwy 54 & Chestnut Street. For an outdoor facility, Witter Field has surfaced as the primary option while opportunity to utilize the existing Mead Pool site/facility is also a possibility. What does the city intend to do with the Mead Pool site? An option under consideration is to redevelop the site for a new aquatics facility, utilize existing structures, parking lots, etc in conjunction with other Mead Park improvements to ball fields/concessions. Additionally, there is a possibility to add a splash pad in place of the existing Mead Pool footprint. It is reasonable to expect an investment will be made both in aquatics and park facilities at Mead.
The YMCA is proposing access to its indoor aquatics center. This facility would be built via a capital contribution from city taxpayers but operated by the YMCA. Residency status would need to be provided for during an enrollment period.
Residents would be provided access to the aquatics facility during the life of the facility. See below for FAQs to the indoor facility as currently proposed. When will city residents be able to access the YMCA’s indoor facility? What time of day might programming occur limiting my use of the aquatics facility? During nonYMCA scheduled programming and use (classes, swim meets, swim lessons, etc), residents will have access to one of the two bodies of water for community swim time. The Y would develop a master schedule based upon the time of year (fall/winter/spring/summer) They would look to meet with an appointed City staff/official on that schedule to ensure it represents the appropriate access for City residents. Pools/body of water or areas that were closed for specific programming would be delineated on the pool(s) schedule. Demand would drive programming times and priorities (i.e. swim lessons are going to happen after school and early evening times throughout the week – this would change for summer months as youth are out of school. In the case of open lap, it would be early morning, mid morning and after work hours) With the two bodies of water, we can look to ensure there is open time ALL hours of the day. What are the operating hours of the YMCA aquatics facility? The proposed hours of the new indoor aquatics facility would be 5AM9PM MonFri, 7AM5PM Sat and 95 Sun. How many hours will the YMCA provide city residents? A schedule of 2,500 hours total over the course of 12 months. How many people can use the aquatics facility at a given time? Depending on concurrent YMCA programming, the facility will hold 152 pool patrons and 180 spectators with a total bather load of 332. What will it cost per use of the facility under a partnership? $2 per person per visit. And cost per use under no partnership? $15/family; $10/individual What is the timeline for construction? Expected completion for an opening in Late Spring 2018 If the city were to contribute capital to construct the aquatic center, what financing gap remains to realize the project? Total project cost is $20M. If the city funds the aquatic center at $5M, then the balance for the Y portion of the project is $15M. In Sept, the Y would embark on a formal capital fundraising campaign that would run through the
remainder of the year to raise the necessary capital. That said, we have already received capital commitments to the project that has helped to decrease that gap. It has been said the Y will bear the burden of operating the facility with the City’s contribution going to capital to construct, what about ongoing maintenance over the life of the facility? This has not been determined on our end. There are many examples from other communities but it is something we would look to discuss together. In the case of Boise, they established a certain dollar value in 5 year increments while New Albany used savings from construction to develop a reserve fund. In each scenario, conversations between the municipality and the Y dictated what this should be – is not a universal answer. We believe this would be part of our discussion if the City makes the decision to partner. What features & amenities will the YMCA facility contain? The proposed option would have two swimming pools. The lap pool will consist of 6 lanes, a climbing structure, inflatable play element and ADA lift. The family recreation pool will include a lazy river, water slide, movable basketball hoop and ADA lift. A more shallow end of the pool will have a play structure and splash pad with ramp access from the deeper water. A spa/whirlpool and interactive water feature will be next to this shallow end. A sauna and pool viewing/lounge area will also be located around the pool area. If the City chooses to not invest in an indoor facility and pursue an outdoor facility, will the YMCA still expand in Wisconsin Rapids? Yes, and a scaled down version of the indoor aquatic facility would likely be built. With that said, partnership opportunities exist with the Wisconsin Rapids School District to build a competitive pool that would serve their needs, host swim meets, etc. An alternative to an indoor option built and operated by the YMCA, the City contracted for outdoor conceptual design services. Given that many differences exist between the former ‘tank’ style of the Mead Pool and a new aquatic center, it is important to consider the below questions. What do you expect the operating hours to be? MonFri X, Sat X, Sun X. Generally the season will run from late May to September. What programming could occur that would limit my free use of the pool? It is not anticipated that sanctioned programming would limit or restrict patron swim use from any aspect of the facility. Further, it is anticipated that swim lessons previously performed would be provided elsewhere or in a separated body of water.
What will it cost to enter the facility? Similar to the pool patron rates on a daily and seasonal basis of Mead pool. The same exists for financial aid memberships. How many people can utilize the facility at a given time? Water patron capacity is 570 people and deck patron capacity is 167. What amenities are considered in the regional facility? Multiple slides Diving tower Splash pad/spray feature Shaded structures Zerodepth entry pool Lazy river Picnic shelter area Concessions Grass lounge area Will the city solicit donors and sponsors for aspects of the facility? Yes, from naming rights to the facility to various features, the city will seek support coinciding taxpayer investment. When might the aquatic facility open to the public? It is anticipated that a facility could open for the 2018 summer season.