Community Campus Site Prep: Pool Demolition
Our community needs access to aquatics. But after years of study, it’s clear that the Olin Bignall Aquatic Center isn’t the answer for that need anymore.
Please take a moment to watch this video to understand the reasons for removing the old aquatic center. The video also discusses the cost challenges and possible solutions for building a new pool for Sandy; particularly a citizen-led effort to gain voter approval for a new special district that could fund aquatics.
- Because of its deteriorated condition, the existing pool would require extensive repairs to meet the community’s future aquatic needs. In September 2019, City consultants estimated that it would require $9.5 million to repair and restore the existing pool facility for 15-20 years of additional service - the cost estimate would be higher in today’s dollars.
- Regardless of the repair cost, the existing pool cannot meet the long-term aquatic needs of the community due to its configuration.
It doesn't make sense to invest millions into a pool that can't meet our long term needs.
As stated in the PETF report, “the existing natatorium and pool vessel [...] does not provide a separate recreation pool as desired by the PETF for more robust aquatics programming.” Seniors and families with children in the community prioritize a separate recreation pool because, as the report states, “the combination of shallow water and warm temperature in a recreation pool provides opportunities for a wide range of community programming including water fitness classes, swimming lessons, therapy, and interactive water play.” Such amenities could not be offered in the existing pool facility. This led the PETF to instead recommend construction of a new pool facility with separate recreation and competition pools that can appropriately serve the whole community.
- Proceeding with demolition now is the prudent thing to do. Because it's clear that the old pool facility cannot meet Sandy's aquatic needs anymore, proceeding with demolition now, rather than waiting any longer, is the most responsible use of taxpayer dollars. Demolition costs will only grow more expensive in the future.
The pool is severely deteriorated and is no longer in a safe condition.
In 2019 after the initial Community Campus community center planning project did not go forward, the City asked our consultant for a cost estimate to renovate just the pool (not including any other buildings on the campus site). The estimate provided to the City in 2019 for renovating the old pool was $9.5 million.
It doesn't make sense to spend such a large amount of money to renovate a pool that would not meet the long-term needs of the community anyway, because it is not a large enough facility to include a warm water recreation pool in addition to a lap swim pool.
The large cost of constructing a new indoor pool would require new property taxes.
The new pool proposal recommended by the PETF was estimated (in 2021 dollars) to cost $26.6 million to construct. If the City had tried to construct the project, the necessary bond would have cost a typical Sandy homeowner $425 more on their property tax bill. It's important to remember that the City has a much smaller tax base than the school district which previously owned the pool, meaning that the cost burden on each taxpayer is relatively higher.
Pools also have extremely high operating costs. Even with full programming, a pool would not generate enough revenue to cover its expenses. If the City was operating a pool like the one recommended by the PETF, it would require a $1 million operating subsidy from the General Fund in each biannual budget. The City currently does not have the capacity to provide such a subsidy without substantial cuts to other areas of the General Fund (which pays for services like Police and Parks), or raising new operating revenue through some other means.
In addition to taxes and operating subsidies, pool users would still need to pay some level of fees for admission, program registration, and/or rentals to make the budget balance.
A potential solution to the funding challenge could involve the citizen-led formation of a new special district with its own taxing authority and dedicated revenue, which would require voter approval.
