Greater Minnesota cities asking voters for project funding

Listen to this article

The city of Marshall’s aquatic center has long been a go-to place for swim lessons and family fun, but the center’s 1930s-vintage main pool and supporting facilities have been showing their age.

The bath house and concessions building have code compliance issues, mechanical systems are deteriorated, plumbing systems need regular repairs and water line breaks are common, among other shortcomings. What’s more, the main pool has been losing water at an alarming rate.

“We lose between 12,000 and 15,000 gallons of water a day from leaking. It isn’t that there is an obvious hole or crack. It’s just that the concrete is so porous because of its age,” said Mayor Bob Byrnes, who noted that the pool is the second oldest in the state.

The city has a chance to stop the leaks with a big assist from voters. It’s one of several communities outside the Twin Cities metro area that are bringing project requests to the ballot box. On Nov. 7, Marshall residents will vote on a plan to extend an existing half-cent sales tax to help pay for a new $18.3 million aquatic center, which would replace the aging facility. The center would include a multipurpose eight-lane lap pool, multiple diving boards, zero-depth activity pool, leisure pool, splash pad, slide complex, updated bath house and other features.

Other proposed funding sources include private donations and sponsorships.

The city says it’s working with CJ Foods on acquiring property on West College Drive, near the intersection of Saratoga and West College Drive for the new pool. The current facility would remain open while the new one is under construction, according to the project website.

Interest in a new aquatic center has been “building in Marshall for the last two decades,” and a community survey conducted in 2021 showed support for new aquatic facilities, according to a project narrative. If voters approve the sales tax extension, construction could begin in 2025.

But like other projects, pool construction isn’t getting any cheaper.

“Whether it’s the PVC pipes, whether it’s the pumps, whether it’s the concrete — everything has escalated in price,” Byrnes said.

Byrnes said the same project would have cost about $16 million two years ago. But the city didn’t have the authority to move forward with the proposed local sales tax extension and ballot measure until getting the green light during the 2023 legislative session, he said.

Marshall isn’t alone in seeking voter approval for community projects. Other non-metro jurisdictions with ballot initiatives include Rochester and Beltrami County.

In Rochester, residents will vote on a proposed extension of a half-cent sales tax to pay for $205 million worth of projects. That includes street reconstruction, a flood control system, a $65 million regional sports and recreation complex, housing initiatives, and other projects.

The sales tax, which has been around for more than 40 years, is set to expire in 2024.

The sports complex would provide “state-of-the-art facilities for Rochester residents and regional tournaments,” according to the city’s referendum page. Included in the plans are synthetic turf and multipurpose fields, a “tournament-quality pickleball complex,” indoor multipurpose courts, indoor children’s play areas, and flexible community spaces.

Some of the Rochester projects are more shovel-ready than others.

While flood control and street reconstruction would “stay in motion or continue to be acted on,” the sports complex still requires site selection and acquisition and “further design refinement,” said Jenna Bowman, strategic communications and engagement director for the city of Rochester.

Bowman said the city is working with LSE Architects and ISG on the sports complex design work.

If the local sales tax extension isn’t renewed, “most or all” of the projects would still need to be done, Bowman added. “It’s then just a matter of how it would be funded.”

Also appearing on Nov. 7 ballots is a Beltrami County plan for a new $80 million jail.

In a project narrative, the county said it received legislative approval to seek voter support for a 0.625% tax on eligible local sales to pay for the project. The tax would not apply to clothing, groceries, cars or “general services/labor costs,” the county said.

The county’s current jail opened in 1989. Subsequent remodels and operational changes grew the jail’s inmate capacity from 81 to 174, but it has become “increasingly evident that significant remodeling would be needed to ensure staff and inmate safety,” according to the narrative.

County officials looked at more than 15 potential sites for the new jail. On Aug. 23, the Board of Commissioners settled on a 9.2-acre site near an industrial park on the north side of Pioneer Street west of Railroad Street.

“When the owner of the property learned the county was having difficulty finding a location for the new jail, they offered to donate the property to the county. This donation has saved the county hundreds of thousands of dollars,” according to the narrative.

RELATED:

Communities ask voters to support big projects

Top Projects of 2015 series: Webber Park Natural Swimming Pool