Butte residents weighed in on options for a public pool or water park Monday night with suggestions ranging from having a “plain old pool” to those wanting the priciest plan on the table.
One man said any plan would mean fewer people swimming at the YMCA, but several people said an extra $15 to $30 a year in property taxes was worth it and Butte should aim high.
Longtime resident Lisa Shea said she would only have to give up about six coffees each year at Starbucks.
“It’s about time we started treating ourselves like we are worthy of this,” she said.
She was among about 50 people who attended the first public forum on the issue at the Emma Park Neighborhood Center in Uptown. It won’t be the last time the public gets to weigh in.
In fact, it’s just the beginning, said Parks Director E. Jay Ellington. An online survey will soon be offered on the Parks and Recreation page of Butte-Silver Bow’s website, he said, and more surveys might follow.
Voters narrowly defeated a $7.5 million bond issue for a pool and water park in late 2011, but that plan also included new tennis courts and other improvements at Stodden Park.
“This is kind of a clean slate,” Ellington said at the start of Monday’s gathering. “This process is very open. We consider this a public forum, not a public hearing.”