HomeMy WebLinkAbout112023 email Healthier Together CommentsALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
Dear Board of County Commissioners
The following comments pertain to the November 20, 2023 BOCC briefing by Carrie Hite on the Healthier Together undertaking.
Location
Questions have arisen as to why a Port Hadlock site has not been considered for the Healthier Together facility. This topic was explored in some depth in 2014 by the then partners for
a proposed Jefferson County YMCA. A survey administered by a qualified consulting company to 805 East Jefferson County residents included a question as to whether the Mountain View
Site or a site within the Port Hadlock/Irondale Urban Growth Area would be most convenient. The consulting company said the number of respondents (805) was twice the number needed for
a statistically valid sample. The zip code distribution of respondents closely matched the county demographics, with 36% residing in the City of Port Towsend and 64% residing outside
the City. 62.7% of the respondents said the Mount View site would be very convenient and only 27.9% said the Port Hadlock/Irondale site would be very convenient. The study concluded
(note “market” means East Jefferson County residents):
“The Mt. View Commons location is well accepted by the market, but the Port Hadlock location is not. If the Y were built at Port Hadlock we estimate that the forecast would have to
be reduced by about 50% of the forecasts shown in the report.”
The then partners were quite surprised that the Mountain View site was strongly preferred over a more centrally located one in the Port Hadlock area.
Further details on the above are contained in this two page summary of the survey https://tinyurl.com/AquaticCenterSite
Mountain View Pool Usage
I am aware of two sets of Mountain View Pool user data that captured the user zip codes, and both show that over 40% of the users reside outside the City of Port Townsend.
One set of data was collected by the YMCA in 2022 for a subset of pool users - those who have Y memberships and 6 or 12 month passes. The data shows that 42.5% of them lived outside
the city, and 57.5% within the city. The same set of data was used by the Port Townsend Free Press that incorrectly stated in an August 5 article that 16% of the users resided in Jefferson
County outside the city. The Free Press analysis was flawed in that it tagged all the users from zip code 98368 as city residents, when in fact 30% of the 98368 population lives outside
the city.
The other set of data was for 4167 participants in the JeffCo Aquatic Coalition free Second Sunday Swims from 2014-2018. 47.6% of them resided outside the city limits and 52.5% within
the city.
Data set for these numbers as well as other data for pool usage is available in a four page summary https://tinyurl.com/Pool-Usage-PDF
I point these facts out because there is a general perception that the current pool and a Mountain View sited Healthier Together facility primarily serves the City of Port Townsend residents.
This perception is not supported by available data. These facilities serve a regional population.
Port Townsend Tax Payer Subsidy
City of Port Townsend residents will pay more to use the Healthier Together facility than those residing outside the city limits. Both population groups would pay the proposed sales
tax to support the pool construction. In addition, city tax payers will contribute $400,000 annually to support the operation. In fact, they have been doing this for many years for
the existing Mountain View Pool, and paying more than the out of city residents to use the pool. I am not at all complaining about this. I just think it needs to be recognized that
city residents are providing this subsidy.
Our county needs access to a public aquatic facility for health, water safety, recreation and socialization opportunities. Not everyone will use the pool. The same can be said of schools,
libraries, public transportation, and other community infrastructure. I can tell you that I have made many friends at the pool from across Jefferson County - Port Hadlock, Marrowstone
Island, Kala Point, and even Quilcene. Stitching together the county is as important as the exercise such a facility provides.
Thank you for considering these comments and for the attention you will be giving the Healthier Together proposal.
Earll Murman
325 Lincoln St
Port Townsend