PORT TOWNSEND — The new pool facility being planned in Jefferson County could cost between $36.3 million and $46.5 million, according to a presentation by the project’s designers, would likely be located at the current site of the Mountain View Commons in Port Townsend and necessitate new taxes.
Speaking to the Jefferson County commissioners on Monday, Opsis Architecture designers Erica Dunn and Jim Kalvelage said the Mountain View Commons site was the most popular location for the new facility, based on public feedback.
“Mountain View has risen to the top as the site we’re really focusing on this moment,” Kalvelage said. “Community feedback really reinforced Mountain View Commons as the preferred site.”
The project’s steering committee will conduct workshops on Friday and July 5, and a third and final public open house will be held July 12 and 13.
A final presentation will be made to the Port Townsend City Council on July 17, with a final report published on July 21.
Dunn noted Monday that most of the respondents to public surveys were Port Townsend residents between the ages of 35-44 and over 65.
The community also was surveyed about what amenities the new facility should have. The most popular responses were the aquatic features such as a lap pool and warm-water recreation pool, but community members also expressed a desire for a new gymnasium facility as well.
Based on that feedback, Kalvelage said planners had narrowed down the list of options from four potential layouts to just two; one with mainly pool facilities and a few extra multiple-purpose rooms and the other with a full build-out of pool facilities with a gymnasium and weight room.
Kalvelage said Opsis’ financial consultants projected the cost of the base pool facility at roughly $36.3 million for a 29,700-square-foot facility and $46.5 million for a 40,200-square-foot pool/gymnasium facility.
Both options would require a subsidy of between $720,000 and $750,000 annually, Dunn said.
The new pool facility project — known as the Healthier Together Initiative — is a joint effort between Jefferson County; the City of Port Townsend, Jefferson Hospital District; Port Townsend School District; the Olympic Peninsula YMCA; Jefferson Aquatic Coalition and the Port of Port Townsend.
Dunn said the City of Port Townsend already subsidizes the existing Mountain View pool at $400,000 annually.
The existing Mountain View Pool would remain open until the completion of the new facility, District 1 Commissioner Kate Dean said, as members of the public have been emphatic there be no gap in services.
Some respondents to public outreach were critical of the plan, Dunn said, with some expressing disapproval of increased taxes and other needs such as roads within the county.
Tax proposals
Two tax proposals are currently being considered for funding the project, both of which would require a public vote.
One proposed tax is what’s called a Public Facilities District tax, a sales tax within Jefferson County. That option would capture more out-of-community visitor spending, Dunn said, but it would be insufficient to cover the cost of the project.
The other funding source is a property tax known as a Metropolitan Parks District (MPD) tax, which will be necessary to complete the project and may be sufficient to cover the cost of most options.
It’s possible to combine the two taxes, Dunn said, but that would require two public votes and would be more difficult to achieve.
Planners also are looking at two possible coverage areas for the MPD tax, one which covers the Quimper Peninsula from the Port Hadlock-Irondale area north, and a second option that expands the taxing area to include Discovery Bay and portions of the county to the south.
Kalvelage noted that cost estimates were still being developed and would likely increase as changes are made to the final plan and cost of materials continue to rise.
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Reporter Peter Segall can be reached at peter.segall@peninsuladailynews.com.
