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Today's News - May 24, 2008
Waterloo High
School Caps Off School Year  Valedictorians for the WHS Class of 2008 were Mitch Wattles, Todd Lenhardt and Justin Hesterberg.
Park District
Hoping For Rogers Street Site For New Pool
The Waterloo Park District board of directors is hopeful a new location will sway Waterloo voters in favor of funding a new swimming facility. During a meeting Wednesday evening, Park District Commissioner Steve Goessling announced the board is considering up a 10-acre piece of ground on Rogers Street. The land, owned by Dennis and Virginia Brand, is located near the Sylvan Learning Center, Remlock subdivision and the future home of Diehl Florist. The Park District’s current pool located on Library Street is more than 40 years old and is need of extensive repairs. “We feel it would not be money well spent to continually patch up that swimming pool,” Goessling said. “We believe the Rogers Street site would be the best choice for the new location,” he said. In the past, other sites the district have considered include Konarcik Park, the SS. Peter and Paul baseball park and on the open land next to the current swimming pool. The $4.5 million bond request has failed in the past three elections. Park district commissioners are hopeful this new site will change the minds of the voters. “Although the district already owns Konarcik Park, the voters in the last election thought it was too far away from the city and there were no sidewalks leading to the park,” Goessling said. There are already utility lines and sidewalks running along Rogers Street to the newly-proposed site. “And when the pool would be open, schools would not be in session. So, traffic congestion would not be an issue,” he added. In addition, the district would build in a buffer area so noise would not be an issue for neighboring homeowners, Goessling said. The park district board members were also pleased that nearly 11 contiguous acres are available, providing sufficient space for parking. There would also be green space for a park, something clearly lacking for residents in the north end of town. Eager to get details worked out, two weeks ago the park district met with representatives of Burbach Aquatics Inc., a pool manufacturer out of Wisconsin. The company has built several pools in the Midwest, including in Shelbyville and Maplewood, Mo. “Burbach has an excellent track record spanning 30 years,” said Joanne Harlin, a park district board member. The Burbach representatives showed the board members photographs of pools they have built, which displayed a wide range of layout choices. (The photographs are located at the website: www.burbachaquatics.com/pools.html.) In addition to the standard six-lane lap pool, Burbach’s state-of-the-art pool designs can include several options, including zero depth entrances, lazy rivers, vortexes, slides and diving boards. “While the lap pool is the main part of the pool, people today expect more,” Goessling said. The Park District is designing the pool with the entire community in mind. While grade-school aged children will likely be the main users of the facility, the district wants the pool to cater to the needs of everyone from toddlers to senior citizens. According to Goessling, the zero entry depth area is beneficial for small children and handicapped individuals, while the lazy river has therapeutic benefits for those in walking programs. The lap lanes would be used for those swimming laps and for swim team meets. Additional information about these and other options for the pool are located on the park district’s website: http://www.waterlooparkdistrict.org. There is also a survey on the website which the park district asks Waterloo residents to fill out and submit to get a better idea of what residents are looking for in a swimming facility. The Park District is hoping to put the bond issue on the November ballot. “Interest rates are low right now and we should be able to get a great interest rate on the bonds,” said Goessling. They hope to soon have conceptual drawings and the expected increased cost in taxes per household available. The current park district rate is .122775. This means that for a Waterloo home valued at $100,000, the owner pays $42.48 annually in taxes to the district. If the November pool referendum passes this November, the tax bill should increase about $40 per household, said Goessling, “But it will depend on how the bond payment schedule is structured,” he added. “The district is such a small part of your real estate tax bill,” added Goessling. “The new pool will not cost the taxpayers a lot, but we will get a lot in return for the community. We have a nice city hall, public library and school and we should also have a nice pool. Goessling also wanted to reiterate that the Park District is a separate entity from the city of Waterloo and they city does not provide any financial funding for the district’s parks.
“We do have a good working relationship with the city and they know the value we provide,” said Goessling. Leading the effort to get the word out about the new facility is the newly established Friends of the Swimming Pool. They plan on canvassing the summer picnics, festivals and parades with information about the positive aspects of a new pool facility. For more information about that organization, contact Jennifer Moehrs at 939-6685.
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