City of Leavenworth Asking for Community Feedback on Proposed Aquatic and Recreation Center
The City of Leavenworth is asking residents to comment on their proposed aquatic/recreation center through their community survey.
On March 31, the city released a community survey on their Community Aquatic and Recreation Center project.
The city is considering two separate project proposals from NAC Architecture, either a 20,000 sq. ft. indoor pool or a 30,000 sq. ft. recreation center that could also serve as a community center.
City of Leavenworth Communications Analyst Christie Voos said the Upper Valley Park and Recreation Service Area (PRSA) board gathered feedback from their Recreation Needs Assessment back in 2021. In that survey, a majority respondents considered a year-round indoor swimming pool as a high priority for the community. This new study will gather what residents specifically want to see in this project.
“Do people want indoor/outdoor access? Do people want big windows? Do people want a slide? Do they want a climbing wall in the water?” Voos said. “All of those options will change what we ended up doing and what is feasible to do, whether that's just rehab the current pool, or if we can get funding to build an aquatic center.”
Voos said they are looking into several funding sources for this project, whether it be through creating a Public Facilities District (PFD), that would generate an additional .02% to the existing sales tax, similar to how the City of Wenatchee funded the Town Toyota Center.
According to the city’s webpage summary of the project, the city expects to receive approximately $600,000 per year from the PFD sales tax increase.
Sen. Hawkins is proposing a similar aquatic/sports plex plan for the Chelan-Douglas County region and is currently sponsoring a bill that would modify PFD law.
Other funding sources include using a portion of their lodging tax funds or applying for a voter-approved general obligation bond, which are government-issued bonds that are repaid through state/local general funds or a dedicated tax.
The city also suggested a voter-approved property tax increase, bringing in approximately $25 to $100 a year from each home.
The PRSA would assess a tax between $0.25 to $1.00 per $1,000 of a property's assessed value.
The city plans to release their survey results on May 2, during the quarterly Community Engagement Night at the Festhalle in Leavenworth between 5-8pm.
The survey closes on May 12, 2023.
You can check out the survey here.
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