Prairie schools may consider up to $40 million bond to build an aquatic center

CEDAR RAPIDS — The College Community School District is gauging voters’ interest in supporting a bond referendum this November that would fund a recreation and wellness center — possibly with a pool, pickleball courts and an indoor track.

The school district is exploring the feasibility of building a facility that would be open to the public and operated by the YMCA of Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Area. At the very least, the district plans to take a bond referendum to voters that includes building a pool for its students, Superintendent Doug Wheeler said.

The facility, if approved, could open as early as summer 2025.

“This recreation/wellness center will be a key hub of a growing (southwest) side and our school district providing our students, families and communities access to health and wellness activities,” Wheeler said in a news release Monday. “In addition to the important responsibility of educating our future workforce and citizens, schools are a place where community members can come together, connect, serve others and become lifelong learners.”

Beginning Monday, school district residents are being randomly selected to participate in a survey — through phone or email — until July 28. An online survey will be available to all residents to give their feedback on the proposed project. The district expects to get preliminary results from the survey in August.

The needs assessment is being conducted with Triangle2 Solutions, which is a research organization providing services including vision planning, facility development, financial development, research and marketing.

The cost of the bond referendum will depend on the scope of the project, but the school’s bonding capacity is just below $40 million, Wheeler said. The facility would be located on the district’s campus across from Prairie Crest Elementary, 301 76th Ave SW, Cedar Rapids.

The bond, if approved by voters, would not raise property taxes, since the district will have paid down previous debt, Wheeler said. The current tax levy rate for residents is $16.61 per $1,000 of taxable valuation.

The recreation center would be owned by the College Community School District and operated by the YMCA. Wheeler said before taking a bond referendum to voters, a draft of the shared partnership agreement would be available to the public.

Wheeler said he expects the YMCA to cover daily operational costs like the electricity, pool maintenance and small repairs. The school district would be responsible for any major structural and maintenance costs, he said.

The recreation center would be open to all YMCA members. Wheeler said school employees and residents in the school district could receive a discounted membership to the facility.

“I look forward to working with the College Community School District to deliver a new state of the art facility for the community,” Bob Carlson, president and CEO of the YMCA of Cedar Rapids, said in a news release. “Taking care of people along with improving the health and well-being of our community has never been more important. Partnerships with organizations that have similar missions is always a priority, and we are proud of our record of collaboration.”

YMCAs across the country partner with cities and schools to open new facilities to serve growing populations, Carlson said.

In January 2021, the YMCA opened a new $19.5 million facility in partnership with the City of Marion. The first floor of the 75,000-square-foot, two-floor facility offers three, full-size basketball courts, two racquetball courts, a six-lane lap pool and splashpad. The second floor holds cardiovascular and strength training equipment, fitness classrooms and an eighth-mile indoor track overlooking the basketball courts.

Carlson said the Marion location is operating “beyond expectations,” proving that partnerships are “the right way to do it.”

District officials initially approached YMCA leadership with the idea for the project, Carlson said. Now seems like “perfect timing” to move forward with it, he said. The needs assessment being conducted by the district will ensure if a YMCA is built on school grounds it is “right sized,” he said.

The proposed project has “re-energized our board and staff,” Carlson said. “There really is a huge need, a growing need on that south side of our community.”

Other possible projects under a bond referendum would be improving student wrestling facilities, especially with the addition of girls’ wrestling to Iowa high schools last year, Wheeler said.

About 20 Prairie High School students currently participate in the Jefferson High School swim team each year in a shared partnership agreement with the Cedar Rapids Community School District.

There are about 5,800 students from Linn, Benton and Johnson counties in 10 schools in the College Community School District.

Fewer options to pass a bond referendum

A new Iowa law — which seeks to control the growth of property taxes in the state — prevents school districts from taking bond referendums to voters in special elections in March or September, as had been the common practice.

Recommended Reading

Iowa governor signs property tax constraints into law

The change means Iowa districts can take a referendum to voters only in a November general election, which this year also will ask voters to decide local elections — including for school board seats.

To take a school bond referendum to voters, at least 25 percent of the number of registered voters in the district voting in the last election of school officials must sign a petition, according to Iowa Code.

A call for an election can be done at the same meeting where the board receives the petition. If the district plans to take a bond referendum to voters this November, notice and language of the measure is due to the county auditor by noon Sept. 22 — 46 days before city and school elections, said Ashley Hunt, spokeswoman for the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office.

Under the new state law, the district would have to individually notify every voter within its jurisdiction of the upcoming referendum vote. And if the referendum failed, the board would be precluded from going back to voters again for a year.

“We don’t want to push this opportunity out,” Wheeler said.

10-year facility plan being completed

The survey comes as the district is completing a 10-year facility plan to address growing student enrollment. In March 2020, voters in the district approved a $54 million bond with more than 84 percent approval to construct a new fifth and sixth grade school building and repurpose Prairie Creek Intermediate School into a ninth grade center.

The fifth and sixth grade school will open in August and the ninth grade center is expected to open in the fall of 2024.

“We’re so grateful to the community for supporting our needs for classroom space. This is an opportunity for our taxpayers to have access to a facility themselves. It expands our opportunities for competitive swimming and general health and wellness in our community,” Wheeler said.

Comments: (319) 398-8411; grace.king@thegazette.com