Othello city council sets pool on February ballot

Ballot third time for city pool

OTHELLO — The city council renewed its support Monday for a $2.6 million bond, which will leave voters swimming in the possibility of a new pool early next year.

Othello council members voted unanimously to have the Adams County Parks and Recreation District place the bond measure on the ballot, but again questioned the annual $10,000 fee the city will have to pay to the district to administer the 20-year bond.

"I know the economy isn't the best here, but we need something for our kids here in the summertime, and I think we need a pool in Othello," Mayor Shannon McKay told the council in showing support for running the pool in February.

The parks district will formally vote to place the pool on the ballot at their meeting next week.

This will be the third time voters have sent the pool to voters, and McKay said pool committees have since pared down the pool to the most basic of structures. McKay said the soaring cost of building materials has not helped the city's cause.

"The problem is building materials have gone through the roof," McKay said, "and they're going to continue to go through the roof."

Councilman Ken Johnson said during the meeting that kids don't have anything to do during the summer, and said if the pool wasn't available, the city would have to put money in the future into the police department.

"I think if we don't put in this end right now, we're going to put it in down the road," Johnson said.

The bond has failed twice before to garner the necessary 60 percent approval by Othello area voters, losing in 2004 by 36 votes. The pool committee formed earlier this year has since submitted a scaled-down pool plan that would use the existing site and existing bathhouse. The proposed pool will include a zero-depth area connected to six lanes of lap swimming.

The council took action to place the pool on the ballot at a meeting in July, but had not yet voted on whether to allocate the $10,000 administrative fee.

Parks district representative Bill Bethmann said the pool parks district would use the money to administer the bond, and also for maintenance of the park the district administers.

Councilman Dale Wyman said the $10,000 fee to the parks district was a tough figure to swallow for him. Councilman Marc Spohr also questioned the $10,000 fee, but said it does cut the assessment to pay for the pool in half and open the vote to the entire Othello community.

"I hope it's the right time, and I hope people will vote for it," Spohr said. "If it doesn't pass now, it will be two to three years before it surfaces again."

Also at Monday's meeting:

? The council unanimously approved to adopt the city's 2006 budget, after reducing expenditures by approximately $500,000 during their workshop last week. The city's final total budget for 2006 will be $10,022,536.

? The city signed an interlocal agreement with Adams County for dispatch services for the next two years.