Wheels in Motion at Sammamish Community Center Meeting, as Residents Discuss Pools, Cost and use

The Sammamish City Council chambers on Monday evening felt a bit like the public library or a college classroom.

Papers sat on round tables. Residents huddled around, brainstorming about budgets, swimming pools and exercise areas and what neighbors might want. In the end, they stood up and presented what each group had discussed.

The city of Sammamish has made no decision about whether to build a community center, especially one with swimming pools. But the wheels were in motion Monday, as about 60 residents gathered to talk about the project that some have wanted for years.

"There are no foregone conclusions," said Craig Bouck, president of Denver-based Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture.

But Bouck, a project consultant hired by the city, and his staff gave residents a better idea of what they could expect as the planning process unfolds.

For example, the total budget of a community center - should one be built - would likely be twice the building's construction costs. That cushion has been built in to consider site improvements, furniture, equipment and possibly parking, he said.

While the city has a population of 45,780 residents, the Sammamish area has a total of about 60,000 people. Those who live outside the city but in the area are likely to use the community center.

Residents also played the role of policy planner themselves, as they considered what elements they supported in a center and also whether those would bring in enough money to cover costs.

For example, a child care area is useful for families. But the dollar potential is considered to be low with medium costs, largely going to hiring staff members. An aerobics, dance, yoga and bicycle spinning area might have a high dollar potential and with medium costs.

Consultants also said that a competitive swimming pool might have a low dollar potential but high expenses. The costs and dollar potential for a leisure pool, they added, would be about the same - in the medium to high category.

Party rooms, which could be rented for birthdays, are typically seen as good ways to pull in dollars. Of course, everything depends on the final plan, which the will need to approve.

As residents sat around tables, they shared ideas. "There's a huge need for lap swimming," Kathy Haase of the Issaquah Swim Team said.

Later, Sammamish resident Megan Gee, a mom with four kids, stood before all the residents and said an aquatic center should be a main focus.

"We want things do during the long, dark months," she said, referring to the winter.

Another part of the policy puzzle is exactly where city officials want to have a community center built.

Jessi Richardson, city parks and recreation director, said there is a list of priority sites and the goal is to have three locations. "We haven't narrowed it down yet," she said. "We hope to do that by May."

All of this makes the coming months important. On July 12, Barker Rinker Seacat is expected to present a final feasibility study for a community center to the City Council.

City staff and the consultants also gave residents a factsheet listing the potential costs to build a community center.

At the low end, for a $20 million project and if property taxes were used to support it, the cost would be 0.18 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, or $7.80 each month for a home assessed at $520,000.

In comparison, a $50 million project would cost someone who owns a $520,000 house $19.50 per month, or 0.45 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. There is a presumption of a 20-year term for the bonds.

While a $30 million project would carry a monthly increase of $11.70 in property taxes for the same house, a $40 million project would cost a homeowner an additional $15.60 each month.

If the city pursues a utility tax, which ranged from 1.4 to 3.5 percent, to support the community center project, the monthly household costs would be roughly the same as the property tax categories. 

Also, Barker Rinker Seacat has included certain timeline assumptions into the project. That includes putting the issue before Sammamish voters in 2012, one year of design work, about 15 months for construction and a possible opening in late 2014.

This timeline includes the presumption of annual inflation in the 5 to 6 percent range, given that the price of gas and steel and other materials could increase.

City staff pointed out that this timeline was only for the firm's use and has not been endorsed by the City Council.

The meeting marked the second in a series that the city has called for public feedback before any formal policy proposal materializes.

Once the City Council selects a site, a better idea of the overall costs will become clear, Bouck said.

After the meeting, Gee said she was surprised that she didn't hear some groups talk about swimming options for a center.

She also feels that a $50 million project is too expensive. "I don't think people will want to go for it if it costs that much," she said.

A project in the $30 million to $40 million range, she added, might be more acceptable.

Bouck said he and his staff will take as much information as possible to come up with possible community center scenarios, which will be discussed at future meetings.

That information will include a community survey completed a few years ago, feedback from Monday's meeting and comments and emails that city staff members have collected, he said.

Editor's note: The next public meeting regarding the community center will be May 9. The city has posted additional community center information on its website.