Even in freezing temps, frustrated Merriam residents fight for larger outdoor pool
In the dead of winter, with mounds of snow on the ground and bone-chilling temperatures looming, hundreds of Merriam residents are still dreaming about the summer joys of outdoor swimming.
They loved Merriam’s 50-meter pool in Vavra Park and had hoped something similar would emerge with the city’s new community center, which will have both indoor and outdoor pools.
But critics now vehemently oppose the new community center design, with its significantly smaller outdoor pool and more amenities dedicated to the indoor pool.
A group of opponents, Merriam Concerned Citizens, submitted more than 800 petition signatures Monday to Merriam City Clerk Juli Pinnick, urging the city to revamp the design and create an outdoor pool more equivalent to what was there before. That old pool was demolished this fall, after the City Council voted 5-3 in favor of the new community center design in September.
“We felt like we had to take this next step to talk to our city officials,” said Thelma Fowler, a petition drive leader, who along with others, went door-to-door for months gathering signatures.
Fowler acknowledged many people ask what good the petitions can do, now that the old pool has already been demolished. She said city voters who approved the new community center wanted a wonderful outdoor pool, and they are still pushing for something that meets their expectations.
“We just want them to pause it like we asked for, and see if there’s a better design or get more input from the residents,” said Dan Leap, another critic.
When the petition drive started last fall, Mayor Ken Sissom said he didn’t believe the petitions were legal or that they could stop the project.
But on Tuesday, City Administrator Chris Engel said the city would review the petitions for legality and verify the signatures before determining how to respond to the petitioners. It’s unclear how long that process will take.
In September 2017, Merriam voters overwhelmingly approved a 10-year, quarter cent sales tax increase to help pay for a $30 million community center in Vavra Park, between Ikea Way and Slater Street, east of Interstate 35. The tax started in January 2018.
When the community center design was unveiled last summer, city officials and other supporters said it would be a terrific city asset, with an indoor track, gymnasium, fitness center, community and party spaces, outdoor courtyard and indoor and outdoor aquatics center.
But the design sharply divided the community. Some residents praised the new indoor pool, which can be used year-round and will include therapy areas for seniors, a lazy river and slides. But others lamented substituting the existing 50-meter outdoor pool and high diving board with a new 25-meter pool and no high dive.
In late November, the City Council also approved a proposal to transfer part of the Vavra Park land to the Johnson County Library for a new Antioch library next to the community center. The Council previously had supported the use of $6.6 million in tax increment financing to pay for a parking structure for both the community center and library.
Opponents also challenge those decisions. They have collected signatures for three petitions: requiring the city to provide a new pool with equivalent outdoor aquatics, limiting the city’s use of TIF funds to less than $1 million without a public vote and requiring a public vote before land is transferred for the library.
While the city considers how to respond to the petitions, grading work continues on the site. Engel said that work should be finished in a few weeks, with vertical construction on the new community center expected to begin soon thereafter. The city’s goal is to open the new facility in 2020.
This story was originally published January 16, 2019 at 5:30 AM.
