Voters in Mountain Home will decide this week whether to approve two sales-tax increases to build a multipurpose/aquatic center, improve parks and fund operations.
Tuesday is election day, but early voting started March 2 and will continue through today.
On the special-election ballot is a 0.5% sales and use tax to back the issuance of as much as $38.6 million in city bonds to finance "the cost of acquiring, constructing, furnishing and equipping park and recreational facilities and improvements," according to the ballot wording.
Mountain Home Mayor Hillrey Adams said about $28 million of the $38.6 million amount would be used to build a multipurpose center with 30,000 square feet of community center space, 35,000 square feet of gym space and a 33,000-square-foot indoor aquatic center, with a 10-lane swimming pool. An outdoor aquatic center would account for another 35,000 square feet.
Adams said the community center would provide meeting space that's unparalleled elsewhere in Mountain Home.
"We could have a sit-down meal for a thousand people," he said.
Mountain Home, population 12,448, is the Baxter County seat.
Adams said collection of the 0.5% tax would end when the bonds are paid off in about 17 years.
According to the ballot wording, bonds from the 0.5% tax could finance all or a portion of the cost to equip parks and recreational facilities "including particularly, without limitation, a multi-purpose community center with basketball, volleyball and pickleball courts, a walking track, a fitness area and meeting rooms; an indoor aquatic center with a competition pool and therapy pool; an outdoor aquatic center; a splash pad; a disc golf course; a recreational vehicle park; improvements to ball fields, tennis courts, soccer fields, playgrounds and the dog park renovations and improvements to the city youth center."
A separate 0.25% sales and use tax, also on the ballot, would be permanent. Money from the 0.25% tax could be used for two purposes: "(a) to pay and secure the repayment of bonds approved by the voters and issued by the city from time to time to finance park and recreational facilities, and (b) to acquire, construct, improve, expand, equip, furnish, operate and maintain new or existing park and recreational facilities," according to the ballot wording.
Adams said the 0.25% tax would bring in between $1.2 million and $1.3 million a year, based on current tax collections.
POSSIBLE OUTCOMES
If the 0.5% tax passes and the 0.25% tax fails, the city will have the construction funds but not the maintenance money going forward, said Adams.
"At this time the [City] Council will have to make a decision if they want to move forward without the maintenance piece or not," he said.
If the 0.25% tax passes and the 0.5% fails, the city will have funding for maintenance but not the money necessary to do the full project, said the mayor.
Adams said he spent his first year in office (2019) listening to different groups that want the city to improve its parks. He said many of the city's parks need new bleachers, playground equipment and other facilities.
Adams said a group of women, in particular, pushed for the indoor swimming facilities so they could continue to do aerobic water exercises during the colder months when the city's only swimming pool, which is outdoors, is closed.
Adams said the Mountain Home High School swim team can't have local meets because it doesn't have a swimming pool that would be acceptable for the purpose.
Adams said multipurpose centers with indoor athletic facilities help when recruiting employees to move to a city.
BATESVILLE AS MODEL
Adams said Mountain Home wants to model its center after the one in Batesville.
Batesville Mayor Rick Elumbaugh said the city used Paragould's community center as a template, but he also visited eight community centers in the St. Louis area.
Elumbaugh said multipurpose/aquatic centers are a national trend, and several have been built in Arkansas.
"When we built it we were very excited, but we did not realize the impact it was going to have not only for our community but statewide for other cities that want to model it," he said.
After initially rejecting a $50 million project in 2010, Batesville voters in 2012 approved 0.5% in sales taxes to raise $28 million for construction and 0.5% in sales taxes to fund operations for streets, public safety, parks and recreation, said the mayor.
Elumbaugh said the bonds will be paid off sooner under the current plan -- in about 20 years.
"Our citizens, they spoke and they felt like that was a bit much," he said of the 2010 proposal.
That plan called for buying 200 acres, primarily for new baseball and softball fields. But, under the current plan, the city only bought 60 acres.
IMPACT ON COMMUNITY
Elumbaugh said about $23 million of the $28 million was used to build the Batesville Community Center, https://bit.ly/3kOYmjX.
He said the facility opened in 2018. Among other things, it has three indoor swimming pools, an outdoor pool, a gym, fitness room, racquetball court, walking track and meeting rooms.
Elumbaugh said it's made an impact on the community.
"We've got some folks that have changed their lifestyle and gotten healthy," he said, crediting the community center. "We've got folks who have lost 100 pounds. Our seniors just love it. They flock to it."
Elumbaugh said the community center has supported itself financially, even though it took a hit last year because of the pandemic, when memberships were suspended for almost three months.
He said monthly memberships cost $10 for senior citizens, $20 for adults and $40 for a family of four. People can also pay a one-time entry fee of $5.
Elumbaugh said the facility's 10-lane indoor swimming pool is particularly popular.
"We open at 5 a.m. and we usually have people standing at the door," he said. "We have every pool lane filled at 5 in the morning."
HARRISON PROJECT
Harrison voters rejected two sales taxes for a community center project in 2019.
Harrison scaled back its project from $40 million to $20 million and will put it before the voters again in a special election on May 11, said Mayor Jerry Jackson.
The elimination of a proposed water park will save millions of dollars, said Jackson. The facility will still include an indoor competition swimming pool as well as a therapy pool and kids' pool, he said.
Jackson said the city purchased the old Harrison Junior High School property a few months ago for $50,000, and the multipurpose center would be built there, incorporating some of the school buildings, including an old gym.
"In November of 2019, immediately after the bond issue failed for a new community center, a small team reviewed what the reasons for failure were," said Jackson. "The price was far and away the No. 1 reason. Many that objected said they were wanting a community center, but not a $40 million one. The location was also a major concern. Many thought utilizing the old junior high school was a better option."
Jackson said the city is asking voters to approve a total 0.5% tax -- 0.25% for construction and 0.25% for operations, maintenance and improvement of all park facilities (with a portion of the collections from the 0.25% tax going toward future economic development to attract business and industries).
In 2019, the city was asking for 0.75% for construction and 0.25% for operations and maintenance.