On City's Agenda: Pool Election Oct 16

Among the items on the Madison City Commission agenda tonight: setting October 16 as the date for a special election to approve floating bonds to build a new $3.5-million city aquatic center (that's what we call pools now).

With a 1350-acre aquatic center just across the yard, the Madville Times has never felt much urge to go swim in town. But even this happy lake resident can recognize the value of a nice outdoor swimming pool for the kids in town, not to mention the kids from Rutland, Nunda, and other outlying areas who bus in for swimming lessons here. The indoor swimming pool at the Community Center is nice for January, but in the summer, kids really ought to be outside in the sunshine.

Will this special project get more support at the polls than April's failed push for a bigger high school gym? The information the pool committee has posted says city propertyholders will face an extra $1.60 per $1,000 of valuation on their property tax. On the $100,000 home, that's $160 a year. That money does get us a fancy pool with lots of curvy walls (and the Madville Times loves curvy walls). Unlike the new gym expansion, the project doesn't just build seats for more spectators; the city wants to expand the capacity so more kids can jump in and swim. Where only the kids who make the team get to play on a fancy gym floor, a pool is open to all swimmers, from Olympic backstrokers to cannonballing dogpaddlers. Get ready for some interesting café conversation around town as we head toward October 16!

One question that may come up: as with the new gym, where are the wealthy private donors who might help reduce the public debt burden? Brookings replaced its city pool at Hillcrest Park with a fancy $4.3 million aquatic center with major donations from the Dale Larson and Don Endres families (see also p. 29 of Brookings Mayor Scott Munsterman's 2007 "State of the City" presentation).