Bandon Planning Department Informally Platting a Pool that the Voters Rejected

1/22/2018

Hey Folks,

The Bandon Planning Commission is going to discuss the following agenda item about the voter-rejected swimming pool at the regular meeting on Thursday, January 25, 2017, at 7 pm in city hall. It is a notice on an official discussion on using city property for the site of the pool.

However, the majority of the voters in the city rejected the idea of a public pool back in November of 2012, so any further discussion by the city officials is an insult to the people's decision.

Most people would support a privately owned, privately funded pool located on private land. A good portion of our community does not believe public tax dollars should pay for these types of luxuries when there are so many other priorities the government should be funding, such as roads and law enforcement. Otherwise, the money should revert to the people paying the taxes, so they can choose what to do with it.

The new planning director lays out the background on the pool in the agenda without mentioning one word about the election.   The proponents of the pool are alleging this is an informal proposal, but anyone living in the Bandon Marsh expansion zone knows that once the government puts a project on a map, it becomes more of a certainty.

Also, the planning director receives a very handsome salary, so he should not be wasting OUR time on subjects where the voters made their decision. The cost of the director’s services drives up the cost of development for everyone.   Remember, the city was recommending raising development fees back in May of 2017, so he should not be working on this issue.  A pool project would only add to those expenses.

Anyone who voted against the Bandon Swimming Pool back in 2012 should contact the mayor and city councilors and tell them this is a very bad idea.

The Mayor ~ Mary Schamehorn ~ [email protected]
City Manager ~ Robert J Mawson ~ 541-347-2437 ~ [email protected]

The pool committee will eventually ask taxpayers to pay for the development of the property once the city has platted the area for this project inside the urban renewal zone. The UR agency skims money from the property taxes collected for ten other taxing districts. Those districts provide for schools and police.   The cities of North Bend and Coos Bay constantly have to redirect money from street maintenance due to the cost of overruns for operating their city’s pools.

It comes down to a very simple choice, build the pool, or fill the potholes…Rob T.

Here are the results from the election where the voters rejected the public pool:

https://ballotpedia.org/Bandon_Community_Swimming_Pool_Recreation_District_Formation_Measure_(November_2012)

Here is the background for the Agenda Item:

Bandon Aquatic Center - Potential Location in City Park
January 25, 2018
Background
The Bandon Community Swimming Pool committee has been working for several years to raisefunds for the construction and operation of an aquatic center. City staff (City Manager and Planning Department) have been looking at options for the location of the aquatic center in City Park.

This is not a formal proposal by the Pool Committee, but rather an effort by Staff to assist in finding a location with appropriate access and infrastructure to successfully support a future aquatic center.

An option has been created to potentially locate the pool near the library, allowing opportunities for access from several points, as well as the possibility of sharing parking with the Barn/Sprague Theater/Library complex. Further, the new pool structure could also serve as a windbreak for the amphitheater stage area.

We are in the very early stages of this discussion, and, in an effort to be very clear and transparent, the staff is sharing these ideas in an informal fashion with both the City Parks and Recreation Commission and Planning Commission for comments prior to more formal discussions with the Pool Committee and the City Council.

The Parks and Recreation Commission viewed the sketches at their January 11 meeting, and found merit in the proposal, but reserved judgement regarding the entire project to a future time when a more fully prepared project would be considered. While the Commission generally found that there are positive attributes associated with a new building near other larger buildings in the City Park complex, concerns were also raised regarding the future financial responsibilities associated with having a pool in the City Park, conflicts between uses, and with the potential loss of passive/active outdoor park space.

These sketches are provided to the Planning Commission for initial discussion and informal comments. There are no binding decisions associated with this item, and the Staff is merely looking to see whether there is enough merit to continue working on design options for the location of an aquatic center in City Park.

Thank you.
John Mclaughlin
Planning Director
City of Bandon

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