Waukee City Council members voted unanimously Wednesday to put a $35 million bond issue for a public aquatic center on the ballot for the Nov. 5 election.
The growing suburb does not yet have a public swimming pool or aquatic center. If at least 60 percent of voters approve the city’s plan in November, about 250,000 square feet of recreational facilities, including swimming pools, slides, a wading pool and a lazy river, will be built at the intersection of Sixth Street and University Avenue, west of Sugar Creek Golf Course.
The council voted to issue bonds immediately after voting on Wednesday to approve a feasibility study on the project.
“This is all in response to requests from residents that we have received over the last four years,” Mayor Courtney Clarke told the Des Moines Register after the council’s vote Wednesday. “Now it’s up to them whether they vote for it or not.”
A public survey conducted in fall 2023 found that 85% of nearly 1,200 Waukee residents surveyed supported building an outdoor aquatics center. Another 500 people from across the city participated in the survey, according to consulting firm Waters Edge Aquatic Design.
On its website about the project, the city noted that “89% of survey respondents said they had used a swimming pool in the past two to three years, and 61% said they used a swimming pool in Waukee at least once a week.”
Here’s what you need to know about the city’s proposal and what would happen if the project is approved.
To what extent would the aquatics center impact property taxes in Waukee?
The city has calculated that about 40 percent of the estimated $35 million needed to build the aquatic center would be covered by existing tax collections and other available cash, including local sales tax and public funds for improvements, according to city documents.
The remaining 60% would be financed by a property tax increase of about $35 per year for every $100,000 of property value.
Council members and city staff had previously discussed ways to cut costs on the aquatics center project, but Clarke said Wednesday that none of the simple cuts would result in significant savings.
“It’s not our job to waffle and think about whether there should be more or less flow channel. That really is in the hands of the residents,” she said.
Waukee residents last voted on an aquatic center referendum in 2010. Just over 50 percent of voters approved a proposed $7.9 million public aquatic facility that would include a running track and large, open green spaces. That referendum also required 60 percent approval to pass.
What is planned for the Waukee Aquatic Center?
The plans include several slides, one of which is designed specifically for small children, a 244-meter-long flow channel and a 280-square-meter paddling pool.
It also includes a 2,200-square-foot lap pool with four 25-yard lanes, a 7,100-square-foot children’s pool, a 1,800-square-foot deep-water diving pool with a climbing wall, several rentable seating areas and concessions.
When would the aquatics center in Waukee open?
If approved in November, the design phase would take about 12 months, City Manager Brad Deets said, and the project would go out to bid in fall 2025.
Construction work will begin in 2026 and the goal is to open the water sports center in spring 2027, Deets said.
According to city documents, the planned opening date is Memorial Day weekend 2027.
What resources would be required to operate and use the aquatic center?
The city expects the aquatics center to be open from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
Season passes could cost about $100 per person or $225 for a family, while day passes could cost between $3 and $10 per person depending on age, according to the city’s website about the project. These price estimates were based on market prices in 2023.
The city estimates that the facility’s annual revenue would cover 80 to 95 percent of the estimated $600,000 operating costs. This would require 25 to 33 people to work at any one time. The facility would need 50 to 60 part-time lifeguards each season.
Operating costs not covered by aquatics center revenues would be part of the Parks and Recreation Department’s budget.
Maximum occupancy would be about 1,570 people. And the facility would be expected to use between 10,000 and 15,000 gallons of water per day, although recirculation technology is part of the proposed design and there are plans to activate it in the event of a drought, the city said.
More information about the project is available from the city at waukee.org/1183/Proposed-Outdoor-Aquatic-Center-for-Wauk.
Phillip Sitter covers the western suburbs for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached via email at [email protected] or X at @pslifeisabeauty.
