The Aquatic Center Feasibility Study results are in! Here is a snapshot of what was discovered.
Background
● Wallowa Valley Center for Wellness and Wallowa Memorial Hospital commissioned an independent third-party consultant to conduct an Aquatic Center Feasibility Study for Wallowa County, “Pool Survey.”
● The survey was available online for 3 weeks, and paper copies were also made available.
○ 1,286 responses were received from a wide range of Wallowa County residents.
○ 1,286 responses represent 17% of Wallowa County’s current population. This large
amount of feedback is a strong showing for a survey of this type.
○ 45.3% of respondents were from Enterprise, 31.0% from Joseph, 12.9% from
Wallowa, 6.6% from Lostine, and 4.2% from “other.”
Highlights
● An overwhelming 93.7% of respondents indicated that there was a need for an indoor pool in the County.
● Swimming lessons, physical therapy, and recreational swimming were the top programs people wanted to see.
● When asked about supporting a facility's sustainability and annual maintenance costs through increased property taxes, 89.5% of respondents indicated that they were willing to pay increased property taxes.
● When asked if they wanted to pay daily, monthly, or annual admission fees, each answer received ⅓ of the responses.
● Only 2.5% of respondents said they would not be willing to pay to access a pool.
Next Steps
● As part of the contract with the consultant, we will receive an Operations Plan based on what respondents to the survey said they think we need and they’re willing to pay to support (number of bodies of water and types, additional features, staffing, locker room sizes etc.).
● Once we have the square footage from the Operations Plan, then WVCW and WMH will be able to get an Architectural sketch (not final plans) to further understand the associated costs of building and operating a facility that meets the needs of Wallowa County residents.
● This project will take 5-plus years to complete, including building and operational planning, funding planning, and sustainability planning.
● Taxes/fees will be to sustain the center, not for building
Original source can be found here.
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