Libby pool advocates will put plan before voters

The Libby Park District board met last week to discuss the progress and path forward of the Kootenai Wellness and Aquatic Center (KWAC).

The newly formed resident-led group made a splash last month when it unveiled plans to build a pool facility in Libby. Members hope to fund construction with private donations, though arriving at a finished complex will require coordination from multiple city and county agencies.

KWAC committee members said they will stop collecting responses to a survey they disseminated to the community Nov. 20 and start breaking down cost estimates for the preferred pool design.

Committee member Tony Petrusha said he has approximately 67 surveys from an initial pool discussion meeting held in October and collected another 60 since. If he had to break down the results off-hand, between 80 and 90 percent of respondents expressed a preference for the option with the most amenities.

“We are getting there,” he said during an informational meeting. “We plan to continue this outreach process through the 20th of November.”

Were the pool complex to be built, supporters plan to cover operating and maintenance costs via a mill levy, although they hope to offset a portion of expenses with user fees. Petrusha told the Libby City Council last week he planned to have the levy on the spring ballot. It would apply to District 4, also known as the Libby School District or Park District. There are upwards of 5,000 voting members in District 4, Petrusha said.

The concept, which was initially greeted with applause when unveiled at a Libby Chamber of Commerce event, has since attracted critics, who argue the expense of running a pool is too much of a burden for taxpayers. Park district members also were split on the measure and KWAC’s approach.

Robert Deborde, Libby Park District board member, emphasized patience during the presentation.

“Maybe the community needs some more time to make up their minds,” he said.

But Park District Chair Jim Germany disagreed.

“We need a pool design to go forward so we have accurate cost numbers,” Germany said. “The voters only care about what is going to be the bottom line coming to us.”

Germany said the Libby Park District has angled for a pool complex for the past 30 years.

KWAC’s next steps include establishing a business plan for the chosen pool design to include an operating budget; calculating a mill levy that when combined with user fees will support operating budget, today and into the future; and preparing for public vote on the mill levy in spring 2020.

If voters approve the mill levy, the tax will go into effect in the next assessment cycle, which may be before construction begins. Supporters say the funding will help offset the initial startup costs for the aquatic center.

Supporters clarified how the complex would fit into the community, addressing confusion among the public as to who would oversee the building and which taxpayers would bear the burden of operating expenses. If built, the complex would be turned over to the Libby Park District.

“The Libby Park District would be the owners — not the City of Libby and not Lincoln County,” Petrusha said.

The location of the pool remains under consideration, but Petrusha believes supporters can convince Lincoln County Port Authority and Libby to swap properties, allowing for construction to occur on land across from City Hall. The spot currently is home to recycling bins.

The pool group is moving ahead in forming a tax-exempt charitable foundation immediately.