Redmond’s Cascade Swim Center opened in 1979, bringing a 25-meter indoor pool to a town of 6,500 people. In the 43 years since opening, Redmond’s gained about 30,000 residents, and the facility is struggling to meet the demand of its growing population.
“We have a full pool, we have waiting lists for swim lessons, we have a swim team that also has a waiting list, we have record registrations for soccer, and we have basketball that has no place to practice,” said Matthew Gilman, board chair of the Redmond Area Parks and Recreation District. “We have a whole community of people that really don’t have anywhere to keep themselves healthy and fit for most of the year.”
The $48 million facility would have an eight-lane lap pool, a lazy river, water slide, workout equipment, basketball and pickleball courts and a bouldering wall. The bond that would fund the project would tack on $7.07 in property taxes per $100,000 of assessed value — $4.67 to build the facility and a separate $2.40 option to fund the operating costs. The typical Redmond household would be paying about $15 a month, and people living in RAPRD would get a 30% discount to use the facility.
“The bond is only for the construction of the building and cannot be used for operations. So, the levy will help pay for staffing, utilities, maintenance and things like that. So that way, we can bring in some more programs. We anticipate that at the beginning, when the new facility is open, that it’s going to take a little bit of time for it to generate enough revenue for our current tax rate to support it,” said Katie Hammer, executive director of RAPRD.
Similar proposals were rejected by voters in 2019 and 2008. Gilman is hopeful the tide will turn in the district’s favor this time thanks to better organizing and running the measure in a November election rather than a lower-turnout May election.
“This time around, I think everybody just realizes that the town has grown so much, that it’s a necessary thing that we need,” Gilman said. “Last time, the political action committee was a lot less organized and didn’t have the enthusiasm that it does this time around.”
RAPRD is still nailing down the specific programming it’ll bring to the facility, but is anticipating sports camps for kids, art classes, technology classes and even cooking classes at a small teaching kitchen. Recreation leagues will also have their own space, which currently are run out of Redmond School District facilities.
“The school district is fabulous. And we use their facilities on a regular basis. But they’re at capacity as well,” Hammer said.
If just the levy passes and the bond fails the project will be scrapped, but if the bond passes and the levy fails the district will build the facility and secure operational funding once it can. Gilman said if the levy fails, they’ll try to secure funding in a future election.
“I’m a big fan of putting a stake in the ground, building a foundation for something, and then we’ll figure out a way to get the money to do the rest of it. I don’t think anybody wants to see a $50 million state-of-the-art facility that we don’t have the funds to run,” Gilman said.
RAPRD wouldn’t shut down the Cascade Swim Center if the bond passes, and expects to continue to lease it from the Redmond School District until it’s no longer viable. The newer facility is anticipated to meet the needs of the Redmond population for the next 30 years based on the current growth rate. If successful, RAPRD expects construction to start in late 2023 and for the facility to open by fall 2025.
This article appears in The Source Weekly November 3, 2022.
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