By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Nice things cost money. How much money became a point of contention during Monday's Great Bend City Council meeting. Council Member Gary Parr withdrew his affirming vote from the Dec. 15 council meeting, in which the council approved a $705,000 contract with engineering firm JEO to design a new city pool, which will cost approximately $9.55 million to complete.
"I've talked to a great deal of people over the last three weeks, over the holidays," Parr said. "I think their definition of what 'quality of life' is, and what ours is, might be considerably different. I didn't talk to a single person who said 'quality of life' is a brand-new $10 million pool."
Parr said he cannot in good conscience approve the project, as his constituents are telling him "quality of life" means better infrastructure, including streets, sewer, and water. He said better streets to get to the new pool may be better for the city's growth than a new pool that is open just a few months out of the year.
Council Member Kevin Soupiset asked to define "quality of life" versus infrastructure. Voters have approved two measures regarding the issues. The quarter-cent sales tax for infrastructure improvements will again be on the ballot for voters in 2027. Voters approved the 0.15 percent sales tax for quality of life measures in 2022. As discussed in previous council meetings, those funds cannot be used on infrastructure. Surveys surrounding the passage of the quality of life tax sales indicated a new pool was what residents wanted.
Council Member Tina Mingenback was on the pool committee that helped come up with a final design. She said costs were cut to make the project possible, and that without this project, there would be no pool after the 2026 season. The committee performed a balancing act of affordability and including the features residents wanted.
"If we don't do that, we are just going to have a hole for people to go to," she said. "That alone, right there, costs about $8 million."
City Administrator Logan Burns said the city will continue to look into grants to help pay for the project, including one that opens this month, and a Land and Water Conservation Grant that opens in June. The quality of life sales tax generated just under $730,000 last year. Through a bond, the city will pay approximately $560,000 annually for the pool over a 20-year period.
The council previously voted 8-0 to approve the new pool project, with construction expected to be completed ahead of the 2027 swim season.