Utica residents will vote in May on whether to move forward with a new swimming pool.
The Utica Village Board passed a resolution Jan. 16 to allow the measure to appear on the May 14 Primary Election ballot.
The resolution passed on a 4-1 vote, with board member Jodi Micek voting against.
“It is very exciting that we voted to allow the citizens, the constituents, to have a vote,” said Sharon Powell, board member and liaison to the Utica Parks and Pool Committee.
The resolution pertained to “bond indebtedness,” meaning that if residents say “yes” to moving forward with a new pool, the village could take on up to $4 million in bond debt to pay for the project.
“We are not voting to take on this debt,” Powell said of the board’s resolution. “We are voting to allow the people to have a voice.”
Utica Parks and Pool Committee Chair Autumn Walford said the way residents vote in May will let the committee know if it should continue its efforts to make the new pool a reality.
Walford said the village likely won’t bond the $4 million, even if the vote passes.
“We’re looking at raising $2 million, and then possibly bonding the other $2 million,” Walford said.
She said the pool as it is currently proposed will cost about $3,950,500.
“We can bond up to $4 million, but that is not the goal. That is not what we want to do, nor does the village board want to bond that much,” Walford said.
She said the committee wants to see the May 14 vote pass because it will make it easier to apply for grants.
“Without the backing of the community, without having a commitment of a substantial amount from the community, those grantors aren’t going to even look at you,” Walford said.
She said getting the measure on the ballot was the committee’s first hurdle.
“Right now, our biggest hurdle is we need to educate the community what this ballot is and what they’re saying ‘yes’ to,” she said, “and that is allowing the village board to be able to, at the appropriate time, bond an amount to help fund this pool project.”
If residents vote it down, Walford said the committee could collect pledges as a form of community support to show grantors.
At this time, the committee is accepting donations toward the project, but it has not undergone a pledge drive.
The ballot language has not yet been finalized.
Residents may attend a town hall meeting about the pool project at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 21, at the Village Auditorium, 466 First Street.
Questions may be sent to uticaparksandpool@gmail.com, and additional information is available on the Utica Parks and Pool Facebook page.
