(9/19/2019: CAMAS, WA)
The Osborne Aquatic Center in Corvallis, OR has served its 58,000 residents since 2000. It was built at a cost of roughly $9M by the Corvallis School District.
The facility boasts 4 separate pools, including The Leisure Pool (called Otter Beach) with a nearly 5 foot wide, 155 foot long water channel with a pump driven current and forced air bubble benches; a 158 foot long, 22 foot high water slide; three "water-cannon" spray toys, numerous geyser water jets, a large interactive arch-jet spray feature, tumble-buckets, an 8 foot wide kiddies' water slide and an interactive "pools and falls" water toy. Finally there is a large play structure with interactive waterfalls and sprays, a tire swing and a kiddies' tube slide. In addition to the Leisure Pool, Osborn also has a 6-lane, 25 yard outdoor competition pool, an indoor 8-lane 50 meter competition pool, and an indoor 40X22 therapy pool.
But as early as 2002, shortly after the City of Corvallis had taken over management of the pool from the school district, the new aquatic center was swimming in red ink. Facing large budget deficits, the City Council subcommittee recommended that it raise admission fees and rental rates. But pool supporters warned that the plan may backfire by pricing residents out of using the pool.
How right they were. Since that time, Corvallis City Councilors have been forced to ask for 3 (THREE) additional tax levies to cover their losses.
In 2011, the City proposed an operating levy of $.45 per $1000 APV, and warned voters that if they rejected the levy, Osborn would close immediately. This sent shockwaves through the community of Corvallis, as residents contemplated the actual shuttering of their new 4-pool aquatic center. In May of 2011, voters approved the new levy and celebrated their Hail Mary.
But before Corvallis Mayor Julie Manning even had time to wipe the sweat off her brow from the first pool funding precipice, The City was back for more. In 2013, just two years after passing the first $.45 levy, the City Council demanded an increase in that levy to $.82 cents- again, threatening pool closure if the new bond didn't pass. This time, the results were much closer, as the new bond narrowly passed 52% to 48%.
Remember, these new taxes weren't used to pay for the construction of the Osborn Aquatic Center. They were used to fund the burgeoning operational losses of the center, which had grown well beyond the subsidy amount that was originally anticipated by city planners. And in less than 3 years, Corvallis taxpayers had now been hit with additional taxes of $.82/ $1K APV, just to keep the facility open.
If only the story could end there.
Fast forward to this year. In 2019, the City of Corvallis proposed Measure 2-123, a new tax levy that would raise $29 million over 5 years to pay for city services that could no longer be sustained by the general fund. This would raise the previous levy from $.82 to $1.07, while the threat of permanently closing the Osborn Aquatic Center was rolled out one more time.
“The first levy was for three years and the idea was let’s see what we can do to fix things,” said second-term Corvallis Mayor Biff Traber, who was the councilor for Ward 8 when the first levy was brought forward. “Can we fix things? No, we couldn’t, so we did it again” with the 2013 levy, Traber said, adding that the City Council that took office in January 2015 as he moved into the mayoral position made finding a revenue-services solution one of its goals for the term.
Floated were ideas such as an entertainment tax, a restaurant tax, a first-responder fee, business license fees, a bottled water tax, adding to the city services bill, a local income tax. a local gas tax and a local sales tax. City officials pitched that in addition to the 82 cents on the expiring levy, property owners also were paying 25 cents per $1,000 for a general obligation bond voters approved for park land and open space. Both the levy and the bond were set to expire later that year.
Thus, city officials and levy backers claimed that the renewal of the levy at $1.07 technically would mean no property tax increase. Opponents, however, felt that they would prefer to have that quarter back or that the services provided by the levy were just not worth the tax increase.
Corvallis residents were furious. So the City brought in the Big Guns.
First, the swim team coach. Rick Guenther had been affiliated with the private Corvallis Aquatic Swim Team for 28 years. “When a child is born, a parent needs to teach that child to walk and to swim,” Guenther said. “Learning to swim is a right all of us have an opportunity to take advantage of as long as Osborn is open.” He also claimed that the closure of Osborn would lead to more drownings.
Guenther’s swimmers and their parents began hitting the streets in support of Measure 2-123. Approximately 140 people went door to door distributing 6,000 fliers. And Oregon State University swimmers— who also used Osborn for practice and meets— chipped in by taking care of the final 300 or so fliers. Guenther wasn't about to lose the pool he and his private swim team had been using for their exclusive use for years.
Next, march in Curtis Wright, a “community enthusiast” and former ad agency owner, tasked to lead the campaign in support of this third tax levy. This wasn't Wright's first rodeo, as HE had worked on the previous two city levies, the last three county levies, the 2018 facilities school bond measure, and also helped with the recently passed urban renewal district for South Corvallis. And he usually won, too, with his lone losses a 2009 urban renewal bid and the 2015 county jail bond.
Wright’s group, which included Mayor Biff Traber and former Osborn director Mark Worden as its leadership committee, spent about $16,000 on the levy campaign, focusing mainly on direct mail. The group also spent money on newspaper ads as well as social media and Hispanic outreach.
The copy on the City's website immediately turned ominous. Complete closure of Osborn Aquatic Center. Cancellation of all classes, sports, programs, camps, concerts, community gardens, and special events. The threats were rolled out for the third time, and like the last two levies, Corvallis taxpayers once again, said “we can't let it close.” They approved the bond in May. The Big Guns celebrated. And all was well once again in the City of Corvallis.
For now.
Camas City officials and proponents of the enormous $78M pool bond, are claiming that the construction details will be finalized AFTER taxpayers approve the bond. No operational budget details regarding ongoing expenses of the pool have been provided to the public. Parks and Rec Commission Chairman Randy Curtis claims they don't exist. But approving ANY bond amount, for ANY construction of a public pool facility in Camas, is just the beginning of the REAL costs to Camas taxpayers. Just ask the folks in Corvallis.
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