Facts back proposal for Wauconda parks
Dear Wauconda residents: On Tuesday you will have an opportunity to voice your opinion on whether or not your community should expand and improve its existing recreational facilities.
The Wauconda Park District is seeking a $12 million bond referendum to expand your community center and build an outdoor water park. As our community continues to grow, so does the need for more programming space.
The district has experienced a 20 percent increase in program participation over the past two years.
The 4,500-square-foot expansion calls for additional multipurpose rooms and expansion to the existing fitness center. The outdoor water park being proposed has been designed with resident input, which incorporates all user groups from seniors to young children.
Some residents question why the district is not pursuing an indoor pool since this was identified to be the number one indoor facility residents wanted based on a needs assessment in 2004.
Residents identified walking paths (which the district did address at Cook Park) and an outdoor water park as the top two outdoor facility needs for our community.
A 2007 feasibility study found that an indoor pool would not generate enough revenue to offset the associated operating costs (maintenance, controlling air quality, heating, electricity and dehumidification) and would require the district to ask for an additional operating tax on top of the bond referendum. The same study concluded that our community could support an outdoor water park and would cover its operational expenses.
District officials have continued to act in a fiscally appropriate manner as evidenced by the district's decreasing rate $0.506 in 2001 to our current rate of $0.311, which is one of the lowest tax rates of park districts in Lake County.
If approved, the referendum would add approximately $0.17 per $100 of equalized assessed evaluation.
District officials have sought and encouraged resident input throughout this process and now are seeking your opinion once again. The time is now. The decision is yours.
Please remember to vote.
Nancy Burton
Director
Wauconda Park District