Thanks to Council members Thomas, Taylor

I want to thank Iowa City Council members John Thomas and Pauline Taylor for voting no to the Iowa City Parks and Recreation Master Plan. I and dozens of citizens who attended the Oct. 18 City Council meeting greatly appreciated their evidence-based approach and thoughtful consideration of our concerns.

Because recommendations within the Master Plan contradict the findings of consultants, survey respondents, and community input found elsewhere in the report, many Iowa City residents asked the council to pause until the Master Plan has been revised to correct errors and to reflect findings accurately. Thomas and Taylor agreed. For example, the goal of moving all indoor aquatics to the Mercer Aquatics Center appears in the Executive Summary even though the survey shows that 68.7 percent of residents oppose that move.

Council members Alter, Bergus, Harmsen, and Weiner voted for the Master Plan, which also includes drawings for new pools/designs at City Park and Mercer Pool that even members acknowledged do not reflect what citizens want. These four members approved recommendations unsupported by data and feedback, thereby ignoring hundreds of residents who signed petitions to keep the footprint of City Park Pool and who oppose the closure of Robert A. Lee Pool (termed “repurposing,” in the document).

Thank you, Council members Thomas and Taylor, and thank you to the many residents who read the Master Plan carefully, attended meetings to voice concerns, and explained to decision-makers why all three Iowa City pools matter to our community.

Anne Stapleton

Iowa City