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| City seeking $1.1 million levy in November election |
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| November Decisions: Part 5, the Aquatic Center
See entire November Decisions series online at molallapioneer.com |
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 | | | Molalla Aquatic Center |
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On a weekly basis, Molalla Aquatic Center Director Eldon Lampson said someone either calls or comes by the pool, saying he or she didn't know it was there.
Still, Lampson said the number of people using the pool has increased each year since the pool opened in June 2004 with more and more people making their way to the award winning facility, doubling in some months from year to year.
But even if the usage was higher from the get-go, the city of Molalla would have to go for a levy at some point. And though the city has been trying to hold off on going for the levy, the point has come, City Manager Gene Green said.
"From the very beginning, five years ago (when it was discussed), I said, 'You've got to realize that you're going to have to have a subsidy with it, either a levy or whatever,'" Green said. "We held off for some time."
In the Nov. 7 General Election, the city of Molalla is asking Molalla citizens to approve a five-year, $1.1 million levy via Ballot Measure 3-232 to fund operation and maintenance at the pool.
The levy is based on a fixed rate of 59 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. The average home in Molalla has an approximate market value of $235,000, but for tax purposes, the approximate market value is assessed at $176,255. The average annual increase in property taxes, therefore, would be an additional charge of $103.99 per year for the average home owner in Molalla. It is expected to raise $1,100,978 over five years and generate an estimated $270,000 per year for operation and maintenance costs.
Operation is the direct cost involved with keeping the pool’s doors open, ranging from paying for heat in the building and water, electricity for lights to keeping lifeguards on the stand and kickboards for lessons.
Maintenance costs are associated with replacing items such as pool vacuums and air filters and repairing pool pumps.
Previously, funding for the pool came from two sources, the city of Molalla's general fund and revenue made at the pool from user fees and concession sales. However, the latter last year generated 27 percent of pool's budget, less than the 35-40 percent that was projected.
"When we first opened, we were hoping and budgeted for 35 percent to 40 percent (in concession sales), and we thought we were being fairly hopeful in that," Lampson said. "That number has been missed by a little bit in our projections, but we're also seeing growth. We're busier now than we were a year ago, and we were busier then than the first year we were open, so I think we're seeing some growth in our usage."
Still, even with growth, that number cannot cover the costs of running the pool, which in the 2006 fiscal year is projected at $330,000. Funds from the city of Molalla's budget, which was at just less than $20 million for the 2006-07 year, have paid for the majority of the pool's costs.
The reason the city of Molalla's general fund has been used these past few years is because "it is important to the council," Green said. "It's been a dream of the community for a long time, so my job is to try and find a way to make it stay open, just like I try to find ways to make the library stay open. The library is never going to be self supporting, and the pool isn't likely to either."
That a city pool needs a levy is not uncommon, both Green and Lampson said.
"Municipal swimming pools, as a whole, don't make money, and that is why you don't see private industry run facilities like this, because there isn't a profit," Lampson said. "… That is why, traditionally across the United States, they've been run by municipalities, parks and recreation districts, or some sort of taxing authority that spreads that cost out."
Lampson estimated that 50-75 people come through the Aquatic Center's doors on a given day for various reasons, ranging from swimming lessons, Aqua Exercise classes, partnerships with local agencies and the school district, to lap swimming and open recreational swim.
"I think the majority of people in the community, whether they use it or not, would agree that it is a good thing to have — to be able to teach kids water safety, to be able to provide their families a place to go and recreate together," Lampson said. "In a community this size, it is a unique facility to have. It provides a multigenerational place for people to meet that provides a safe environment, a fun environment, and where they can play and learn together."
The pool has won two awards for its designs, earning the 2004 Design Award from the Oregon Recreation and Park Association, and the 2005 Leading By Design Award.
"I think what we did for under $3 million was quite a feat," Green said.
The vote is limited to citizens living inside city limits. Currently, user fees are based on whether a person lives inside the Molalla River School District or not. When the levy was approved to go on the ballot in City Council, the question was raised if the Molalla citizens would have to pay less if the levy was approved. It is a question that has yet to be answered, Lampson said, noting that is the City Council's decision.
While the Canby City Council has come out and said it will close that city's pool if that city's levy does not pass, Green wants to steer clear of those kinds of statements.
"That is a last option," he said. "I'm not going to doom and gloom. It's like if we don't get the subsidy from the county for the library, we're going to find a way to keep the library open. I can assure you of that. And my job is to try and find ways to keep the pool open."
And regardless if the levy passes, Lampson said continuing to let people know about the pool is key.
"Word still needs to get out there to those people somehow," he said. "We are here and open for business." |
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