February 2 the registered voters of League City will be asked to vote on
the swimming pool issue.  Thursday, February 10 the city will hold a public
hearing at Creekside Intermediate School at 6:30 pm.  This meeting will be a
great chance for everyone to ask their questions and hear the answers
first-hand.  I know that there are very strong  opinions on this issue and I
like to be informed before I vote. If you have not been following the
newspaper coverrage, I have included several articles for you to skim.

Mary G. Strickland
 League City to start hearings on center

            By: JENNIFER THOMAS, Citizen Staff December 26, 2001

      Three public hearings have been scheduled to discuss the League City
Community Center referendum that's up for voter approval in a special
election on Feb. 2.

      Voters will be asked to approve a $12.8 million community center,
equipped with an indoor competitive pool, outdoor recreational pool, weight
room, gymnasium and other amenities.
      Ian Powell of SHW Group, Inc., the architectural engineering firm
designing the facility, will be conducting the hearings, along with
representatives from the League City Parks Department.
      The first hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 2, at the Clear
Creek High School Ninth Grade Center, located at 2451 E. Main St., at 6:30
p.m.
      The second hearing will be Thursday, Jan. 10 at Creekside Intermediate
School, 4320 E. Main St., at 6:30 p.m.
      The last hearing will be held at the Johnny Arolfo Civic Center,
located on Walker, just next to City Hall, Tuesday, Jan. 29, at 6 p.m.
      The community center is the second phase of a project that started with
the construction of the Sportsplex.
      Two sites are under consideration for the proposed community center;
the land across from City Hall, and Walter Hall Park off FM 270.
      Funding for construction of the community center will come from the 1/4
cent sales tax that was passed to help pay for the construction of the
Sportsplex, from Certificates of Obligation, and from the city's General
Fund.
      Membership fees, user fees, and rental costs will pay for operations
and maintenance.


      ?Clear Lake Citizen 2002
Subj:   Pool Meeting and Vote
Date:   1/6/2002 8:56:24 PM Central Standard Time
From:   <A HREF="mailto:CCVEVENTS">CCVEVENTS</A>
To: <A HREF="mailto:CCVEVENTS">CCVEVENTS</A>



Questions abound about community center

By Alicia Gooden
The Daily News

Published January 04, 2002

If the public's overall impression of the first public hearing on a proposed
community center is indicative of the February vote, the measure might face
an uphill battle.

"I think it lacked sufficient information to have a good, reasonable vote on
the issue," said J.A. Willhern, a League City resident.

A good portion of the small, vocal group that showed up Thursday night for
the hearing sent an overt message to city leaders - too many questions, not
enough answers.

From the onset of the meeting, Mayor Tommy Frankovich asked that the hearing
be one that set aside personal and political stances on the $12.8 million
project. By the end of the hearing, it was evident that the Feb. 2 election
would come down to which wheel squeaked the loudest.

Most of the comments made during the 90-minute hearing dealt with how the
project would be funded, who would use the facilities, where the community
center would be built and how much financial burden League City residents
would be asked to shoulder.

Residents like Fred Lawrence, Karl Silverman and Elaine Kosty hurled
questions at City Administrator Nick Finan and project consultant Ian Powell
about the specifics of the project. The questions probed how realistic the
city's estimation was that the yearly maintenance costs for the 64,000
square-foot center would cost just $825,000.

The total estimated cost of the project is $12.8 million. Of that amount,
$9.4 million in certificate of obligation would have to be sold. Other
funding sources would come from property taxes, 4B sales taxes and any grants
the city could secure.

Also asked of city leaders was how much more out-of-area swim teams would be
charged as compared to those aquatic teams inside the city and how much the
listed additions such as a child care center and second gymnasium would cost.
A shared concern among many who do not support the project or are undecided
is that the center is really for the swim teams, many of which are outside of
League City and Galveston County.

Throughout the questioning, however, Finan and other city officials remained
poised.

Yet, some of the queries posed stumped city officials. Those in attendance
wanted to know how much of the $825,000 included salaries and benefits for
the staff needed to run the community center and how many people would be on
staff.

Though city officials said they had the information, it was not available at
the meeting, a point that many commented on afterward.

"How can you have a public hearing and not have the information the public
wants?" asked resident Jeff Mallios.

But the criticisms and negative intonations were buoyed somewhat by Teresa
Toungate, a parent with the swim team League City Barracudas.

Toungate, to applause from park board members and those in support of the
project, told the crowd that the community center would bring an influx of
economic development to the city.

"There are more than 1,000 families that come to these competitions
sometimes," she said. "These families are going to eat at our McDonald's,
Esteban's (a local restaurant) and spend money at our little stores."

One of those expressing concern over the cost of the project said that League
City had no major retailers, only "little stores" to help offset the cost of
the community center, which will feature a 50-meter, Olympic-size swimming
pool.

A chance to dive into the issue

By Stephen Hadley
The Daily News

Published January 03, 2002

There's something about a swimming pool that stirs the proverbial political
pot in a community.

In League City, there is a plan to build a $9.4 million community center that
includes an Olympic-size swimming pool and meeting rooms. The hitch is that
voters have to approve the proposal before it becomes reality. They'll head
to the polls on Feb. 2.

But before they do, the city plans to address questions and concerns about
the project during three public hearings. The first is tonight.

Some of the questions city leaders should answer concern where the proposed
center is going to be built and how much it's going to cost to use it.

Opponents of the deal have voiced both concerns.

Experts hired by the city say the center should be built closer to city hall,
not on county-owned land at Walter Hall Park as is now planned. Some
opponents have questioned whether the center would pose an environmental
threat to Clear Creek if it were built at the park. That's a dialogue city
leaders should have with citizens starting at tonight's meeting.

Is Walter Hall Park the best site for a community center? The intent of
putting it there was so that it would be centrally located, accessible to
residents in League City and people who live in the burgeoning Clear Lake
area.

How much it will cost to use the center has been a point of contention from
the project's infancy. Even the county commissioners, when they agreed to
allow the city to use the park for the center, questioned whether the cost -
$450 a year for a family of four or $2 a day to use the pool - was too much.
They worried whether those who can't afford such rates would be kept from
using a public pool. That's another legitimate question city leaders should
answer tonight.

If the early campaigning is any indication, there probably will be many more
questions this evening.

If you care about the issue, this is one hearing not to miss.

Center election divides community

By Alicia Gooden
The Daily News

Published January 06, 2002

LEAGUE CITY - In three weeks, voters will head to the polls to decide whether
to build a $12.8 million community center in the city.

Supporters say the center could be a tool for economic development, a nucleus
for the League City community and the magnet that attracts national
cheerleading and swimming competitions.

Those who oppose the project say that the city is trying to force all of
League City's residents to pay for a multi-million center that would be used
by a select few, most notably the area's swim leagues

If Thursday's public hearing was any indication, residents are divided over
the project and have plenty of questions.

Whether the measure passes or fails on Feb. 2 could largely hinge on how well
city officials explain the details of paying for the center and just who will
be footing that bill.



Paying the Piper

The cost of the 64,000 square-foot building, which will include an
Olympic-size swimming pool and several meeting rooms, is estimated to be
$12.8 million.

The city has secured $2 million for the project. The rest of the money will
come from the issuance of $9.4 million in certificates of obligation. The
original bond amount was $7.6 million but had to be raised to $9.4 million in
order to cover building costs.

Taxpayers will pay for the maintenance and operations cost of the center in
its first three years through revenue from the general fund, which includes
property taxes, franchise fees and possibly an increase in sales tax revenue
from the 4B Corporation.

The city estimates that the center would generate $850,000 a year in revenue
after three years. Its forecast for the actual expenditures after the three
years is $825,000. Earlier figures showed that the cost of operations would
run between $850,000 to $900,000.

But City Administrator Nick Finan said that after staff members took a harder
look at the numbers, the city was able to find ways to scale back costs by
hiring contract custodial labor as opposed to paid labor.

If the community center gets a green light from voters, the facility will
have a staff of 12 full-time employees and 18 part-time. Their salaries,
which Finan said are included in the $825,000 operations cost, would total
$375,000 a year.

"If we can meet our expectations, then we expect for our revenues to be more
than our expenditures," he said.

But if the city does not meet its expectations, Finan said that city council
will have to decide how to handle the shortfall.

"At that time maybe the operations of the facility will be scaled back," he
said. "There are a myriad of ways that can be addressed."

After the third year, the city anticipates that the center will have between
1,200 and 1,500 full and partial memberships at an estimated yearly cost of
$450 to $275 for aquatics memberships. Fees alone after the third year are
projected to generate $550,000 in revenue.

The certicates on the community center would last 20 years, said Finan. The
payments on the bond note would be $750,000 a year. The city's current
general fund debt is $28.6 million.

The life of the pool is expected to be 25 years to 30 years because it is
indoors and located in the southern part of the country. Finan said if the
referendum should pass, the city would initiate the first issuance of
certificates this summer.



Spreading the Word

Teresa Toungate and the other members of the League City Barracudas swim team
showcased a banner that urged residents to vote for the proposed community
center during the city's holiday parade in December.

The group will soon begin work on fliers and letters sent to other swim teams
asking them to become vocal supporters of the project.

"The way I see it, we have access to 500 people through the swim teams and if
each one of those people tells a friend and then goes to the polls we'll have
one of the larger turnouts that League City has seen in a long time," she
said.

The way people like J.A. Willhern see it, there's a lot more the city needs
to get nailed down before he votes for the project. Shiny brochures and
colorful artist renderings aren't enough.

"You (the city) want us to give you a blank check," he said to city officials
at Thursday's first public hearing on the community center.

The city has not set fees for the center. It has only estimated the amount
the center would need to one day be self-sustaining.

That move would have been political, said Mayor Tommy Frankovich.

"We could make it look nice in order to get the issue passed and play around
with numbers just to get it," he said. "That's why we kept the numbers
general."

Frankovich said that future council would set the fees for the community
center if the referendum passes.

The ballot language for Proposition 1 is simple. It asks only whether
residents would or would not support a community center to be built in the
city.

It says nothing of the cost of the facility and how it would be financed.
There was no legal requirement to do so, said Finan. The referendum also does
not tell voters that the measure is binding.

As vehemently as Toungate is about supporting the project, opponents of the
community center are working to kill the deal. They're asking questions,
requesting information and telling those they come in contact with their
opinions.

"No, I will not support it," said League City resident Fred Lawrence. "Right
now, I don't have enough information and I think the information that the
city is giving us is bad for the vote."

At the top of his concern list is why the city hasn't decided on where to
build the community center. Two options exist - the 5.4 acres the county
agreed to let the city lease in Walter Hall Park or the Arolfo site on 25
acres of land adjacent to city hall.

Project consultants said geo-technical studies show the Arolfo site would be
better suited for what the city wants to build.

"They don't know what they want but they want the voters to make a decision,"
said Elaine Kosty, a former council member.

Opponents contend the project is a gift to the numerous area swim teams. They
said that if the swim teams want the facility, the city should make them pay
for it.

Conversely, many of the community center supporters say that the swimming
pool was promised to them during the 1994 quarter-cent sales tax election.
Revenue from that sales tax initiative was used to build the Sportsplex.

But Toungate said that the community center dialogue has been narrowed to
focus in on only the swimming pool, a portion of the project that the swim
teams have tried to shy away from.

"We understand that that's an ugly issue," she said. "But the focus should be
on the benefit the community center brings to the entire community."

The swim teams were told upfront, said Toungate, that they would have to pay
for the first-class facility if they wanted it. She said that her team has 
decided that it would pay what was necessary to be able to use the facility.

"We're not asking for any free rides or for the city to cut us any special
deals," she said.

The city estimates that teams will be charged $25 an hour for use of the
facility and that up to three teams can use the 50-meter pool at one time.

Toungate said she understands the concerns of older residents and what impact
the community center might have on some of them.

"I understand that older people are not going to use the pool but by the same
token I'm not going to use the senior citizen room," she said.


Winner and Losers

Who will ultimately benefit from the center if it is built is debatable. The
city would have a top-notch facility, the only one in the area with an indoor
pool capable of attracting state and national swim meets. It could also have
the pull to get state and national cheerleading competitions in town,
supporters say.

Economic development would benefit, said Finan.

Toungate and other supporters said such athletic meets attract thousands of
people.

"These people will come to our city and spend their money in our city," said
Toungate.

These same people could also cause overflow parking problems in the city,
Lawrence.

Close to 400 parking spaces will be needed to accommodate a building the size
of the proposed community center.

"We don't have the restaurants to feed these thousands of people," said
Lawrence. "They're going to go down to Clear Lake and NASA Road 1."

If the center is built, the city says that according to financial forecasts,
taxes would not have to be raised to support the facility.

But if the city does not make its goal of getting the 1,200 to 1,500
memberships, the costs of running the facility could continue to come from
the general fund or the operations might have to be scaled down, said Finan.

That bothers Lawrence.

"I just don't like the way the whole thing was set up," he said.

Toungate is bothered that the project has been viewed so negatively.

"People love to dwell on the negative," she said. "Look at the whole picture.
This center will benefit every age and resident from little children to
senior citizens. That's something positive for the city."