By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
After efforts stalled last spring to hire a firm that would study the future of the Burlington Community Pool, area citizens have started a petition on Change.org urging the city to move forward.
The petition, addressing both Mayor Bob Miller and the City Council, had close to 500 signatures by Tuesday evening after launching late last week.
“Please add your name to this petition to show your support for urging the Burlington City Council to explore options for improving our outdoor community swimming pool,” reads the petition. “Our current pool has been a valuable asset for almost 50 years and has served this community well providing a safe, clean environment for children to learn to swim and for kids and families to come together and have great summer run!”
The pool, in need of either major repairs or replacement, has been a subject at the City Council level for the last year and a half. But a planned study with Burbach Aquatics fell through in April when the city couldn’t reach an agreement with the company that would leave an option open to not proceed with the work.
On Tuesday, Miller said he was aware of the petition, and that he believed his wife, Edna, had backed it.
However, he pointed out that proceeding with a study at this point in time isn’t feasible.
“It’s still a priority, but it’s not an immediate priority simply because of the time constraints right now,” Miller said.
He explained the city is looking at spending upwards of $50,000 just to get the study prepared and to set up a referendum on the matter. With the budget for 2016 already in the discussion phases – and looking at taking that $50,000 out of reserves – the cost could be prohibitive.
He also said that state law dictates that there must be a 70-day window between announcing a referendum and holding it. That, he said, could not be accomplished in time for the budget.
He said the city is looking at having to re-draft a request for proposals, then find a company that would do a community study and set up the referendum.
“We’re kind of back at square one,” said Miller, who added that he supports a community pool and wants to see the situation resolved.
“It’s a matter of redoing the RFP, and then finding a place in the budget,” he said. “And it’s an extremely tight budget.”
Early estimates for the work needed on the pool put the cost somewhere between $600,000 and $3.5 million. The low number involves just relining the current pool, while the high number would involve a new pool with new attractions.
The high-end amount would cost the average homeowner about $48 more a year in property taxes, which would have to be approved through referendum. Donations and alternative funding options could help offset that amount.
Miller also said Tuesday the city could do what Whitewater did, and put out a referendum asking if the community would support a $3.5 million commitment to a new pool – and then do the design work afterward.
The petition seemed to support that idea.
“The purpose of this petition is to encourage our City Council to proceed with this study so that they can selection an option that could be presented to the Burlington community in the form of a referendum,” it reads. “The entire community would then have the opportunity to vote to support or reject the proposal.”
The petition can be found by going to change.org and searching for Burlington Community Pool.
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