HomeMy WebLinkAbout121823 email BoCC email statement for TODAY'S meetingOn Thursday, April 27, 2023, just before 6 PM, I entered the Chimacum high school auditorium to attend a live meeting for the "Healthier Together" aquatic center... this was just a few
days after I heard this project was 'back', and my journey here began.
Within minutes of listening to Jim and Erica from OPSIS on the overhead projector, I felt like this presentation and what was being communicated was misleading, and manipulative. To
start off, Jim was going to go over the four options of location. As he went over the options it was very obvious that three of the four options really were not options. Kind of a waste
of time. Why were we being told this?
Pictures were being shown of what the facility would look like with grandiose photographs, especially of the pool and the lazy pool and all the bells and whistles the children had to
play with. When it was questioning time, one of the senior ladies that uses the current Port Townsend pool, commented about the pictures and that that "stuff was going to get in the
way" of them doing their water aerobics"… Jim from Opsis replied that in the actual feasibility study that is not what was going to be built, it was a much simpler design.
When I introduced myself and asked some questions and raised my concerns (Owner of Evergreen Fitness, hurting small local business, funding etc), one of the things I mentioned was if
they were going to be presenting this and wanting people to vote on it in the future, that they should be as accurate as possible… And I repeated what Jim said about the picture representation
of the pool. Jim's response to this was simply:
Well, "pictures are hard to find".
I suggested he could probably find something that was a little bit closer, and probably should if they were going to be putting this out to the public; That a picture spoke 1000 words.
In later presentations pictures the pool were indeed scaled down!
At that meeting, and after other meetings that followed, surveys were sent, I am told, to those on the email list with Jefferson County aquatic/healthier together email list. In short,
predominantly their supporters. At the meetings QR code were also available to complete the surveys.
These surveys had no control on who responded to them and how many times someone responded. On one of the Healthier Together meetings I attended via computer at home, the survey wasn't
working so they were simply typing in the questions in the chat box… Someone asked if their Preteen (8-11 year old) child could vote… They were met with an empathetic "Yes! We want
to hear from everyone."
Seriously??, (I thought)… Children are giving their opinions and being listened to on how our tax dollars are going to be spent?
Also throughout this process, Jim and Erica have continued to repeat that the new aquatic center with all its bells and whistles, would not compete with the local fitness centers/gyms.
They even stretched the imagination and said it would actually ultimately increase business at these places. Baloney. The feasibility study and its financials show they were basing
their incomes on a steady membership base of about 1500 memberships. I commented at the Kala Point meeting that the two primary Fitness centers in Jefferson county, Evergreen Fitness
and the Port Townsend athletic club combined probably do not have this many members currently. How could they possibly say they would not be hurting these businesses?
Erica from Opsis literally looked me in the eye and replied an emphatic "None!" When I directly asked her in the last Fort Worden live meeting, how much business she presumed they would
be taking away from the local fitness centers.
I disagree 100%.
Documentation on the City of Port Townsend website(dated February 9, 2023) steering committee interviews, there was input from each of the members from the steering committee. Wendy
Bart from the YMCA initially stated:
(Program): the pool is the number one reason people join but not the most used amenity.
Mark McCauley/Chris Goy suggested:
"proximity cards provide greater access; can use facility earlier than staff arrives.
I, owner of Evergreen Fitness introduced proximity cards for early entry prior to staffing, just 4-1/2 months prior to that statement.
In other words, they would be using the fitness center. And Jim, Erica, and Carrie have the audacity to say they would not be taking away business from the local gyms? Let's be serious.
I have continued to watch and attend and listen, and I'm just appalled at this process and the deception, and mostly the lack of informing the community that would be paying for this.
I would like to thank Greg Brotherton for his ongoing communication with me in regards to this process. However, in a phone call with Greg at some point this summer, he told me that
they were intending on scaling this down to only be a pool, and that no fitness center/gym would be there.
Are our county commissioners even getting accurate information? Who really knows what the truth is in all of this?
With current information coming to light, this causes me to lack confidence in our elected commissioners. Confidence waivers, trust goes down.
At the BoCC meeting on December 11, the president of the aquatics coalition, Rich Childers (Jeff Co aquatic coalition) said in part:
"But really what we in the steering committee, you know, voted to have this to be a Y. And that's kind of been lost in all the rhetoric that really what we're building is a Y and a pool
is a component of it but there's all this other countywide service that comes with a Y and it was really enticing to think about that the Y was looking at bringing $10-$12 million to
the table on this project. "
And:
"So, it's just kind of unfortunate maybe on our side of it, the steering committee, that we didn't put this out there from the very beginning – – that this is a community Y that we're
building that happens to have a pool. It's not just a pool or just an aquatic center."
Most recently in the "consent agenda request" signed by county administrator Mark McCauley on December 15, 2023 for the meeting date of Monday, December 18, 2023 the opening "statement
of issue" reads:
"A multi-agency steering committee has been working to develop and bring forward a multipurpose facility for the community that would include a pool and other amenities. Carrie Hite,
project manager, has conducted extensive community outreach seeking to inform the public and solicit input regarding the project."
Extensive community outreach? At the Kala Point meeting hosted by citizens, that Carrie Hite attended, Carrie addressed those who attended and spoke about this community outreach and
mentioned the meeting in Chimacum and that it was "well attended ".
Well attended? When I spoke, I asked Carrie about the meeting, and then told her this 'well attended' meeting had a maximum of 15 people. Honestly, I didn't want to be caught in a lie,
because I really thought there was only 11 people there, so I increased it to say it was 15 people... attendance really was only 10 or 11 people. And that is what is being said as "well
attended ".
This is one of the many fallacies I have witnessed in this process since I first attended a meeting in April 2023.
There are other options for less costly structures, as well as being more centrally located for the whole of Jefferson County, rather than just for the municipality of the city of Port
Townsend.
Pull the Interlocal Agreement, PLEASE do not sign it.
Please stop spending the taxpayers money, slow this process down and make other considerations and get other bids and personally review the information to make more intelligent, realistic
decisions for the community you have been elected to serve. I hear there are land options in the Hadlock area as well less costly structure options that should be evaluated and considered
prior to creating a public facility district.
Please do your own reseach and do not take someone elses word on what is right. Draw you own informed decisions.
Please do NOT use another 15-18,000 of taxpayers dollars for this Interlocal Agreement.
Please do NOT make the taxpayers pay $110,000 for a special election, that, like the Cherry Street project will be another huge waste of money. I think everyone agrees if it goes to
the voters, it will not pass. Isn't it rather ridiculous to continue to waste a lot of money, time, and energy of even our three county commissioners, without mentioning the waste of
all the taxpayers money?
I am not against a pool, just this particular concept and design and location.
Stop, slow down, please stop trying to rush this through without completely and thoroughly knowing your options, finances, and especially more awareness throughout Jefferson County.
Michelle West
360.302.1132