By Scott Unger • Of the News-Register • 

Council outvotes mayor on addition to rec center pool

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Comments

M. Isaac

While I have supported city bond measures through several decades, I don't plan on voting for this one until the extra $13.00 (now $13.47 as I recall) monthly tax is removed.

Bigfootlives

Well said Isaac!

I’ll give the mayor two more swimming lanes for warmup when she gives us the forensic audit she promised while campaigning.

NJINILNCCAOR

Nope.

Nice parks and a clean, safe small town is what we need.

Not a fancy pool, that only a small portion of McMinnville people will ever use.

CubFan

NJINILNCCAOR

You often comment that only a small portion of residents use the pool.

In referring back to a 2020 survey for the McMinnville Parks Plan, I find the following information:

What is the most important for the City of McMinnville to support:
- 69% indoor swimming, competition, lessons, water fitness
- 29% fitness, weightlifting

Which of the following existing City of McMinnville indoor recreation facilities are important to you:
- Aquatic Center 84%

I’m not debating the cost of the proposed Aquatic Center. My point to you is this: you personally may now use the Aquatic Center- but it’s important to an overwhelming number of respondents to the survey.

tagup

Cub- wouldn’t you agree that it’s likely most of the respondents to the 2020 survey were interested supporters of the project?…..in any case, a voluntary survey doesn’t identify what percentage of the community uses the facility. As I stated previously, I would be surprised if 30% of the city residents used the pool.

NJINILNCCAOR

Tagup - I would be surprised if 10% of Mac residents used the pool with any sort of regularity.

Doggydude

I really dislike the argument that a public facility is not worth funding because only a certain percentage of residents will personally use it. That is not how a community works. I probably do not drive on 90% of McMinnville’s roads, but I still understand why my taxes help maintain them. Less than 50% of residents currently have children in the school system, yet we all contribute because good schools benefit the entire community.
The same principle applies to parks, libraries, fire stations, pools, and community centers. Different public services benefit different people at different times in their lives. Our current pool is not merely outdated—it is falling apart and beyond reasonable repair. Doing nothing does not make the problem disappear or make the eventual solution cheaper.

It is completely reasonable to debate the cost, design, or financing of the project. But “I won’t use it” is not, by itself, a good argument against investing in public infrastructure. Things cost money. Being part of a community means sharing the cost of things that serve the community, even when we do not personally use every one of them. I’m sorry public amenities are not free, but that does not make them unnecessary.

CubFan

Doggydude-
Well said...I completely agree

tagup

Cub- So you're a yes vote?

CubFan

Tagup
Good question. I agreed with “Doggydude” because I agree with his point of “community” and how not every citizen uses every part of a collective community’s infrastructure, yet, we as citizens need to recognize and support the collective good of infrastructure. NJINILNCCAOR obviously doesn’t use the pool, and therefore, she devalues it as a community asset.

That being said, it’s still a hard decision in my mind about the upcoming bond. There are still unanswered questions, and at the top of my list is “how much more will this cost me?” Am I talking out of both sides of my mouth? Maybe so. (Perhaps I should be a politician? LOL).

It’s going to be a tough decision for me, weighing my personal ability to increase expenses, with the greater good of supporting a pool, which, in my opinion, is an essential part of our community.

tagup

Cub-
You clearly identify a difficult decision shared by many in the community.
As a previous yes vote, I’m sorry to say that I’m leaning the other way due to my concerns about the project debt load & its future impact on other city services. Further, I’m skeptical that the city leaders won’t just return to the utility “service charge” process for additional revenue when the budget doesn’t pencil out.
I also have concerns about the city management and accountability for a project of this size. The Navigation Center was a disaster! The city must be more involved with oversight.
With sewer improvement projects coming soon( a project that would serve everyone) I’m not convinced that the price tag of the aquatic center is justified.

Bob

With current civic distrust, I doubt if the pool gets approved. I agree that the cost estimate takes your breath away. But don’t Mac’s kids and the majority of citizens deserve a new facility that will be used by even more citizens than the old outdated, inefficient, and undermaintained current facility. So in spite of the still not ended W&L surcharge I will be voting in support. I do believe that the current city administration does want to act in the best interests of the majority of citizens, not special interest groups. But admit their actions haven’t clearly displayed that yet.

Bob

With current civic distrust, I doubt if the pool gets approved. I agree that the cost estimate takes your breath away. But don’t Mac’s kids and the majority of citizens deserve a new facility that will be used by even more citizens than the old outdated, inefficient, and undermaintained current facility. So in spite of the still not ended W&L surcharge I will be voting in support. I do believe that the current city administration does want to act in the best interests of the majority of citizens, not special interest groups. But admit their actions haven’t clearly displayed that yet.

B

My question is why do we need a competition pool and not just a community recreational pool? I second Tagup's concern about the management of this project if it is approved.

CubFan

tagup

You mentioned the Navigation Center disaster. Agreed. However, to be fair, this was (then) Mayor Drabkin's pet project. Since that time, I have much confidence in Mayor Morris. And there are two city councilors now (Cunningham and Benner) who were not part of the council who approved the Navigation Center. Additionally, Peralta is not running for reelection. He was also on board when Drabkin pushed the Navigation Center. So I think our existing city council/mayor are more dependable and will avoid situations like the Navigation Center.

You mentioned the upcoming sewer project. This scares me (from a personal budget standpoint). The average sewer bill right now in McMinnville is $64/month. One proposal for the sewer project puts monthly sewer bills at $111-$155 by 2036. On top of that, they are considering a storm water charge of $15/month. These two infrastructure proposals may well push a new city pool off my personal budget list.

tagup

Cub- just so I’m clear, I was (am) not against the idea behind the navigation center…. I also realize that Fackler was the primary problem with the construction …..But…
The aquatic Center is a much more complex construction….. I don’t expect the mayor or city council to provide supervision, but I hope ( if the bond is successful) the city will assign responsibility & have a plan to monitor progress while insuring quality work is completed. That didn’t seem to happen with the navigation center.
In the real business world, project managers lose their jobs for the type of results & cost overruns we got from the navigation center.

Dan Tucholsky

Full disclosure I'm a City Councilor.

Cubfan A quick correction, I was not on Council at the time of the "Navigation Center" approval and did not support it and I have serious concerns about it's effectivity as a "emergency homeless shelter".

Here is a link to the resolution so you can see who voted:

https://www.mcminnvilleoregon.gov/sites/default/files/fileattachments/ordinance/23501/res_2022-35.pdf


Also, the City should have never been acting as a project manager for the construction and this should never happen again. You can't play well out of position and expect success.

In contrast, The construction of the proposed Recreation and Community center would be managed by Pence Contractors who are already involved and have a successful and very extensive portfolio of work managing these size and style of projects. I'm very comfortable with their capabilities.

Here is a link to the Pence project portfolio:

https://pence.net/projects/

Thank you.

Dan

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