What’s next for Marion’s aquatic center proposal?

MARION — Marion officials are looking for ways to keep the city pool afloat amid ongoing discussions about a potential facility replacement.

The current pool — at Willowood Park — was built in 1987 and is now facing costly repairs on a near-annual basis for everything from outdated filtration and mechanical systems, to broken pipes and concrete failures.

Officials had considered seeking voter approval this fall for a nearly $40 million facility replacement at a site south of Munier Road, although City Council members last week voted to put those plans on hold.

Council members unanimously recognized the need for a new pool but made the decision to hold off on a referendum vote until at least November 2026 to allow more time to research potential cost savings, evaluate public-private partnership opportunities, and bolster community support.

“The project isn’t over by any means,” Parks and Recreation Director Seth Staashelm stressed. “We’re still moving forward with looking at an aquatics center project; it’s just not going to be a referendum this year.”

Issues at the Willowood pool remain in the meantime, though, and it is likely the next major equipment failure will lead to a permanent closure.

To better assess the risk of that scenario and identify opportunities for preventive maintenance, Staashelm said the goal is to seek a third-party review of the existing facility operations to establish a five-year maintenance plan.

That plan would outline current conditions at the pool, as well as any areas of particular risk and costs for various repairs. Findings would then be provided to the City Council and the public to inform budgeting discussions and future pool planning.

“We want to take a holistic look at the facility and make sure we know what investments might be coming up,” Staashelm said. “We want to make sure we have as much data to be able to give to our elected officials so they can make the best decisions possible.”

What’s next for the replacement proposal?

City officials identified the replacement of the existing pool as a priority during Marion’s most recent ImagiNEXT community visioning process. The city identified a project site between 31st and 34th streets south of Munier Road and worked with an outside company to begin the design process.

As proposed, the $37.5 million project called for a recreational pool for younger children and their guardians, lazy river, dive pool, lap pool and related parking and street infrastructure. To move forward, Marion voters would need to approve a referendum in support of the project.

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A July survey to every Marion household ultimately found 54 percent of respondents approved the base project, less than the 60 percent needed to pass a ballot referendum under Iowa code.

Those findings and the tight timeline leading up to the Nov. 4 ballot pushed officials to press pause on a referendum in hopes that more time will allow the identification of further cost reductions or public-private partnerships.

“We want to see a project like this happen. This community needs a municipal recreational water project, but … I want to make sure what we’re putting on the ballot is the best proposal we can possibly have,” Ward 4 City Council member Sara Mentzer said at the time.

Already, the city has paid around $1.5 million in pre-referendum costs such as design work and survey analysis. Deputy City Manager Kim Downs told City Council members last week that the decision to pause the project would not equate to a total loss on early investments, however.

Rather, work completed thus far will set the stage for future project planning, further data analysis and outreach to potential partners.

“If you’re asking if the dollars we’ve spent thus far are throwaway costs, that is not the case” Downs said. “We’re going back and looking at (the current plan), but that doesn’t mean we’re going back to the drawing board” altogether.

Those conversations will likely pick up steam in early to mid-November, Staashelm said, to allow time for area residents and elected officials to focus on the upcoming Nov. 4 city election. In the interim, staff will begin collecting additional information and begin outlining next steps for stakeholder consideration.

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