$2.6-million bond on February ballot

OTHELLO — Community officials are swimming in the idea of a new pool, a possibility voters will decide for a third time next month.

In advance of the Feb. 7 election, pool committee members will be holding a community forum to answer questions for voters and present information about the pool.

Pool Committee co-chair Dave Anderson said the event has been scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday Jan. 16 at Time Out Pizza on Main Street in Othello. Ballots will be sent out for the Adams County all-mail election Jan. 19.

The Othello City Council last summer authorized Adams County Parks and Recreation District No. 1 board members to place the measure on the February ballot.

This will be the third time in four years that voters have a chance to decide the pool measure. In its last incarnation in Nov. 2004, a $2.8 million pool bond failed by a few dozen votes to attain the 60 percent supermajority needed to pass.

The original pool was used at the city for a number of decades before continuing repairs forced its permanent closure in 2004.

The pared-down design requires a $2.6 million bond to construct a 25-meter lap pool connected to a zero-depth area and single slide. The proposal would also utilize the existing site adjacent to Lions Park, with a remodel of the existing bathhouse structure.

The cost of excavating the existing pool had been priced as high as $200,000, but officials have found a volunteer to remove and dispose of the existing pool.

The measure's passage would collect a 32 cent per $1,000 assessed valuation for the 20-year life of the bond, meaning a property tax cost of $32 per year for a home valued at $100,000.

If the pool gets the 60 percent approval needed to pass, officials say it would likely be 2007 before construction begins. Bonds have to be sold first, followed by final designs and construction. City officials have previously said it would take 18-24 months to complete the project.