EVANSTON — Uinta County voters have been presented with an opportunity to enact a temporary 1% specific tax initiative, also known as the sixth penny, during an upcoming special election set for Nov. 4. At stake is more than $40.6 million worth of county-wide improvement projects, including a $28,818,896 aquatic center and conversion of the old pool for the Evanston Parks and Rec District; nearly $5.43 million for sewer system expansion and Heritage Park renovations for the town of Lyman; $3.3 million for the purchase of two new fire engines and ambulances; $2.2 million for public park improvements for the town of Mountain View; and $856,769 for a secondary access road for Upper Deer Mountain Road in Bear River.
“When I became director, health inspectors showed up on my fifth day of work and said they were shutting down the pool,” Evanston Rec Center Director Kim Larson told the Herald. Larson assumed the facility’s leadership in July 2023.
“From that point, we had to change some policies,” she said. Those changes included hiring an additional custodian and conducting regular, extensive reporting.
“It sufficed that we could stay open in a safe capacity,” she said, “but we started talking to our board of directors immediately.”
Built in 1984, the Rec Center pool has more than doubled its expected lifespan of 20 years. Now 41 years old, a recent feasibility study conducted by Burbach Aquatics and Albertson Engineering “came to the conclusion that that pool is at the end of its useful life,” Larson said.
“We could gut it, but we’d have to redo the foundation and redo the entire HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system,” Larson said. Aquatic supervisor Brad Hatch said the pump room would also need to be entirely relocated outside.
“Then you’re tearing up the deck and replacing all the pipes,” he said.
Larson concedes that a renovation project would be cheaper than a new pool, “however, this pool doesn’t meet our community needs,” noting its current capacity limit. “This size isn’t even sufficient without [community] growth.”
Rehabbing the current pool would also require significant downtime and the community would be without a public pool for several months, possibly years.
While the school district currently owns and operates two swimming pools — at Evanston High School and Davis Middle School — those are not open to the public.
“Both school pools were out of commission all summer,” Larson said. “Those pools are aging, as well.”
Since July 1, the beginning of the current fiscal year, the rec center has forked out $14,000 in pool repairs and maintenance, an amount that has become exorbitant and unrealistic to maintain, according to Larson. Approximately $5,000-$10,000 is spent per repair at a monthly occurrence rate.
The rec center currently has an approved budget for new roofing, remedy drainage problems and to build new retaining walls.
“Once we get this pool out of here, without this humidity, this building has a lot of life left in it,” Larson said. “It doesn’t make sense to build a new pool in a 40-year-old facility.”
If the measure passes, the current plan is to fill in the old pools with foam to create a room specifically for gymnastics. The sport is currently housed on half of the basketball courts, and this would free up the space for court activities.
The new aquatic center proposal offerings include zero-depth entry, fountains and slides for children of all ages and a lazy river, which Larson said “is not only fun for the kids — it’s great exercise walking against the current.”
The new pool would also appeal to water aerobics-goers and avid lap swimmers, in addition to catering to the High Altitude Swim Club (HASC).
“You can’t dive in that pool, so you can’t teach diving. It’s only six lanes and there’s no room for spectators,” Larson said. “We are never able to hold a meet here, which is against USA swimming policy because every team needs to be able to host meets.”
“We’re losing that business,” Hatch said of the potential economic revenue generated from hosting such events.
Larson said she feels confident that the project would increase local jobs.
“An RFP (request for proposal) would be sent out to different architectural firms,” she said, “and priority number one is we’ll try to use local contractors so that we’re doing as much local business as possible.”
A secondary building would also require additional staffing.
“It’s not going to be a significant increase, because we’re already paying for it — the pumps, chemicals, [an additional] custodian,” said recreation manager Alicia Melchior said in response to detractors of the tax measure who feel that a second building would be too costly.
“It would be more efficient so the price would go down in daily maintenance,” Melchior said.
The town of Lyman was deeply split over its community’s project priorities. There was a close and semi-contentious debate between the need for a rec-center-like/youth club facility or capacity expansion of their current sewer system. The latter project item narrowly edged out the former.
The town’s current sewer lagoons were installed in 1991 and are still perfectly functional; however, they’re close to capacity, according to town engineer Gareth Powell of Forsgren Associates Inc. Lyman Mayor Shane Hooton was not available for comment but facilitated the Herald’s interview with Powell.
“It’s not a dire need,” Powell said, “but we are kind of close to the max capacity.”
The sewer system is currently undergoing a wastewater study which is expected to conclude by the spring. “That will determine what we have left to allow growth to happen in Lyman,” Powell said. “Every community wants to grow.”
Powell, who admits he prefers to be proactive rather than reactive, highlighted the county’s impending potential growth with different ventures coming in, including “the mines and the power plant,” he said. “Lyman is already a whole ‘bedroom community’ for the mines.”
Evanston Mayor Kent Williams, who supports the initiative, told the Herald it’s a tax that can be somewhat optional to residents.
“It is an increase I can control with my own spending,” he said. “If you don’t want to have to pay the tax, don’t make the purchase.”
The proposed tax is a one-percent sales tax — one additional penny for every dollar spent — and does not apply to the purchase of groceries or prescription drugs.
“It is not an increase to our property tax, and we get that whole penny,” Williams said, compared to the state’s 31% return of the current five-cent tax accrual to the counties.
Goods purchased by tourists passing through will also help pay down the required amount. “I understand the concern of the voters,” William said. “We’ll all end up paying it because it’s a county-wide tax, but so will everyone else coming through town.”
Williams said that, while the effort is estimated to last six years, there’s always the potential for early payoff. He said that’s what happened about 25 years ago with the sixth penny tax approval that raised the funds for the water treatment plants in Evanston and the Bridger Valley.
According to Williams, the current operational overhead of the Rec Center is $3 million to $3.5 million a year — a significant portion of which goes into the constant repair and maintenance of the pool.
“The pool is the big one,” he said. “Pools are expensive no matter what.”
While he admits the new investment will be expensive on the front end, he said it’ll be much more efficient in the long run due to construction material and engineering advancements.
Mountain View Mayor Bryan Ayres, when contacted, encouraged voters to do their research and get out and vote.
Bear River Mayor Clyde Kofoed could not be reached for comment. However, speaking as the county planner, Williams — who is the brother-in-law of Kofoed — said, “I know enough about that project (Bear River’s proposed secondary access to Upper Deer Mountain Road), it is an issue. It’s one in and one out, and that’s a danger,” he said.
“As a planner, I’d have to say this is a good project because it’s a public safety concern,” he said.
Williams, however, did voice concerns about the addition of the other municipalities’ proposed projects that culminated in the sticker shock-inducing $40 million-plus price tag. “These are good projects, but it’s a lot of money. It scares me,” he admitted.
Still, “I’m going to vote for it,” Williams said. “If we want to attract business to our community, we have to have things for people to do.”
Special elections aren’t free. The one scheduled for Nov. 4 costs $66,000, to be exact. The county commission is paying approximately $18,000 for their portion, mostly with in-kind work such as providing election workers and polls.
The Evanston Parks and Recreation District will fund the remaining $48,000.
“We have planned on this and budgeted for it the last two years,” Larson said. “It’s been done with membership fees we collected, rather than subsidies we collect from the city.”
Contrary to some misconception, the Vote Yes campaign signs were not paid for with city government funds. The Evanston Recreation Foundation (ERF) — created specifically with its own, separate board of directors — held a fundraising gala in June.
That effort garnered $24,000. After the event’s $6,000 overhead costs were recouped, the ERF spent the remaining $18,000 on the campaign signage. Larson has also held a couple of other, smaller fundraisers including a movie night at Aspen Cinemas.
The ERF also formally registered a political action committee (PAC) to strictly adhere to campaigning rules.
“We are trying our very best to do everything right and by the book,” Larson said.
Remaining funds will be utilized for campaigning through October, including canvassing and hosting town halls throughout the county every Monday.
The Evanston Rec Center will host two town halls in its multipurpose room on Oct. 6 and Oct. 27 at 5:30 p.m. Town halls will also be held at the Mountain View Library on Oct. 13 at 6 p.m., and at the Lyman Library on Oct. 20 at 6 p.m.
“If we don’t do something, we won’t have a pool,” Hatch, the aquatic supervisor, said. According to Larson, grant funding is not available for new construction costs, though may be available for specific items or projects in the future.
Larson and Melchior shudder to think of a community without a public pool.
“There are no swimming lessons. No lap swim, no water aerobics,” Melchior said. “No bringing your kid in on a snow day or a half day. No birthday parties.”
“These are some needed things in our community, but is that what everyone wants?” Powell said. “If it fails, we’ll have to chase other avenues.”
For the town of Lyman and its sewer system, future funding efforts could include utilizing grants, applying for loans or potentially increasing current service rates.
“We’ll have to find other ways to get it funded,” he said.
While the election is slated for Nov. 4, early and absentee voting begins Tuesday, Oct. 7.
