$40M Pasco water park back in front of voters. Will it sink or float?
With mail-in ballots for the April 26 election set to go out by Friday, only one item will be asked of Pasco voters — whether to fund a long discussed public water park.
Nearly 10 years ago, Tri-Cities voters rejected a similar proposal for a regional aquatic park. Of the three cities, only Pasco voters supported it.
So, the city of Pasco decided a few years later to move forward with a project of its own.
And after years of study and changes to the design, the Pasco Public Facilities District decided in December it was ready to put the new plan before voters.
The Pasco district is proposing a $40 million, 25-year bond that would build an indoor/outdoor aquatic facility, funded by a sales tax increase of 0.2%.
That would be 2 cents on a $10 purchase or 20 cents on a $100 purchase. And it would apply only to purchases in the city of Pasco.
The proposed increase would bring in $3.5 million annually and grow over time. It would fund the facility in two phases, an initial phase that could open by 2024 and a second phase 12 to 15 years down the line.
While the sales tax collections would go toward the bond repayment, revenue from the aquatic facility once up and running would cover operating expenses.
Water park facility
As proposed, the facility would be built on about 4.6 acres — the first phase would be nearly 47,000 square feet and the second just over 13,000 square feet.
The location of the water park in Pasco is still to be determined but some sites of interest have been discussion in west Pasco.
The first phase would include an 8,000-square-foot indoor leisure pool, a 20,000-square-foot outdoor activity pool, a party room, classroom, outdoor concessions and locker rooms.
The second phase would see an 8-lane, 25-yard indoor competition pool added — paid for with the cash balance of the bond.
The first phase would employ 16 total full- and part-time workers.
Next steps
The PFD’s meeting to approve the informational flier is at 4 p.m. on Thursday, April 7, at Pasco City Hall, in the city council chambers. It will also be available online.
The board itself is not allowed to campaign for the proposition, or use public facilities to either support or oppose the ballot issue.
A list of ballot drop boxes is available on the Franklin County elections website. Ballots must be returned by April 26.
This story was originally published April 3, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
