$3 million bond vote for new pool on Nov. 6 ballot

Fairfield Park and Recreation Department and a community committee are working to gather support for a yes vote from Fairfield residents for the city to issue $3 million General Obligation bonds for a new outdoor pool and indoor recreation facility.

Public Measure A is on the general election ballot for residents within the city limits.

?We need support in a number of ways,? said Dan Breen, a committee member. ?We have been very clear that the amount we?re asking from taxpayers will not build a new pool and a new gym. But it is necessary to pass this bond issue to be able to leverage other funding. We cannot apply for grants without proof of government support for the project. We?d have a hard time getting private donations, foundation gifts and corporate donations if it didn?t seem a viable project. So this vote is crucial.?

The committee, or task force, has been working on this project for a few years, knowing the community needs more gym facilities and the outdoor pool was aging.

?Over the last several years, we?ve had a build-up of many youth sports,? said Breen. ?We?ve not grown in facilities.

?The last time Fairfield built a public gym was at Fairfield Middle School in the 1960s. Since then, we?ve added girls sports, seventh grade sports, C and D teams to school sports, youth leagues and teams, dance and drill teams, soccer and soon, indoor archery.

?Yes, the high school had an expansion, but it didn?t expand access, only seating capacity. We have so many sports teams and activities, some kids have to get to practice at 6:15 in the morning because the gyms are in use so many hours of the day,? said Breen.

A new indoor facility could help relieve the tight schedules for teams rotating through the school gyms.

?You don?t have to be competitive to use and appreciate an indoor recreational sports facility or gym,? said Breen.

?This project has economic benefits for our community by attracting users from outlying areas. With more community amenities, Fairfield can attract more businesses and employers to want to move here.

?This is a chance for the community to support a healthy place for students to go after school and during the summer. And I think a year-round gym with more courts and a walking track is necessary for our own community?s physical and mental health.?

A proposed indoor recreation complex, to be built on the Roosevelt Community Recreation Center site, will contain three basketball courts, surrounded by a three-lane walking path around the perimeter of the gym. Walkers can keep up a walking program indoors through all types of weather. The courts will be flexibly used, adapting to volleyball, indoor soccer, wrestling, baseball hitting practices ? and anything else that?s possible in an indoor gym, open year-round.

A new outdoor pool is planned at O.B. Nelson Park to replace the one closed this summer.

?It will be a pool similar in size, but with modern amenities,? said Breen.

An enclosed curly slide will sit at the south end of the pool. The pool area there will only be for sliding, with steps opposite the slide. Water next to that area will contain lily pads ?floating? in the water for climbing, crawling or walking across.

The middle of the pool features two diving boards and lanes for lap swimming.

The north end of the pool looses the pools? straight lines, with a large curve meeting the pool deck for zero-depth entry. Zero-depth entry means walking from the deck, or sidewalk, straight into the water, which gradually slopes down, like a beach, so a person can stand in ankle-deep or waist-deep water.

Zero-depth entry is convenient for parents bringing toddlers into the water, for handicap accessibility and for anyone who wants to control how deep to go into the pool without needing to jump in.

The north end, shallow area of the pool also will contain interactive play areas for children.

?We are planning lots of shade,? said Derik Wulfekuhle, director of park and rec.

The drawing shows canopied areas containing picnic tables near the outdoor pool.

?Our Roosevelt site will be open year-round for activities, and the pool will be open in the summer,? said Wulfekuhle.

Breen said the current Roosevelt recreation center is not aimed at students to drop in after school, a need he feels strongly about for the community. The proposed new indoor facility will be for all ages, children to elderly.

?We?re planning our first public forum for 7 p.m. Oct. 9, in the meeting room at First National Bank,? said Breen. ?We hope to have a few more public forums before the Nov. 6 election so the community can come and ask questions and view photos about the facilities.

?We?ve been working to bring this project to our community the most economical way, and committee members such as Ken Daley, Joe Carr, Jane McMahon, Jeff Courtright and Kent Whitney and others have put a lot of work into this. People should learn about it and vote yes.?

More information is available at the Fairfield park and rec website www.fairfieldparksandrec.com including architectural plans, questions and answers about the project and how to pledge support.

Contact Wulfekuhle at 472-6159 or email director@ffparksandrec.com or Tom McMahon, committee chairman, at 919-7024 or email Tom.McMahon@hillphoenix.com for more information.