OTHELLO — Othello residents may be asked to approve or reject a construction bond for a new Othello Community Pool, but when, and for how much, is still to be determined.  

Brooke Hanley of NAC Architecture, Spokane, detailed four options, including the cost for each, for Othello City Council members at the regular meeting Monday. City officials discovered extensive damage to the existing pool in spring 2024, and it's been closed since then. A $3.5 million construction bond proposal was rejected by Othello residents in 2025. 

"Three options for the pool included expanding the Lazy River and the lap pool, and then what would those costs be if we only did one at a time?" Hanley said.  

The lap pool is the main pool; a zero-depth entry area, called the leisure pool, was added later. So was the area used for tubing, known as the Lazy River.  

All the proposed options include upgrades to the existing facility. Those would include new piping and new mechanical systems, a new pool deck, new fencing, umbrellas for shade and new bleachers. The existing waterslide would be upgraded as well. 

Expanding both the Lazy River and the lap pool is estimated to cost about $9.97 million. The estimate for expanding only the Lazy River is $7.76 million. Adding two lanes to the lap pool is estimated to cost about $7.01 million.  

Hanley also provided a cost estimate for fixing the existing pool without expanding any of the existing features. Estimated cost for renovating the existing pool was $6.5 million, which prompted a question from council member Angel Garza. 

"I don't know how it went from $3.5 (million) to $6.5 (million) in a year," Garza said. 

Hanley said the estimate reflects the 2026 economy.  

"That project was a little smaller in scope overall. We didn't include umbrellas or bleachers or some of those things, (or) changing all the fencing," she said. "Not that that is adding up to $3 million difference, but just between the inflation, the pressures on gas prices, the wars, wildfires even, are just causing prices to go kind of through the roof right now." 

There were two payback options for a possible bond, one for 20 years, the other for 25 years. Property tax rates for the 25-year bond were estimated at 38 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value for expanding both the Lazy River and the lap pool. For the Lazy River only, the tax rate was estimated at 30 cents per $1,000, and for the lap pool only, at 26 cents per $1.000. 

For the 20-year bond, the estimated tax rate was 44 cents per $1,000 for both the Lazy River and the lap pool expansion. For the Lazy River alone, the tax rate was 35 cents per $1,000 and for the lap pool alone, the estimated rate was 31 cents per $1,000 of assessed value.  

The architects did extensive surveys and meetings when preparing the 2025 bond and some of the proposed additions are a result of those, she said. 

"You'll see all the umbrellas around the outside. We heard in our meetings how shade is an important feature at the pool, so this is an optional feature," Hanley said.  

Three of the four proposals would increase the fenced area around the pool.  

"Partly (new fencing) is to increase the footprint over by the lap pool to include the bleachers inside the fence and capture some of the park space that's around East Pine Street, which is not currently being used otherwise," she said. 

Some money is allocated to repair existing buildings. 

"We put in a small amount for potentially fixing anything that needs immediate attention," Hanley said.  

Council member Kelli Camp said she wanted more information than she got. 

"I have kind of an estimate comparison, but not a hard numbers comparison," she said, "and I also would like to see a breakdown of where all those costs are coming from." 

Hanley said part of the estimate is options, like more shade umbrellas and a new fence. 

"You can choose to take those out," she said. "It's way easier to subtract from the total number than it is to continue to add on." 

The estimates include not only the actual construction, Hanley said, but what are called "soft costs," which are things like the design fees and state sales tax.  

All four options had 2029 as a tentative opening date, assuming a bond is passed in 2027. Camp said council members would have to give careful consideration to the timing when submitting a bond proposal. 

The Othello School District is considering a capital levy request, possibly for the February ballot, she said. Adams County Fire District 5 and the city have designated April for a public vote on annexation of the city into ACFD 5.  

"You're either going to be competing with some other measure that is already going to be (on the ballot), or you go out in August of 2027," she said. 

    Othello City Council member Angel Garza said the increase in estimated costs to repair the existing Othello Community Pool came as a surprise.