HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/07/2008 23 Other Business�N1 Distributed at
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Business Meeting
[Mayor's Letterhead]
October 7, 2008
Mayors and Council Members [each named and provided a separate letter -per DZ]
Union Gap and Selah
Dear ,
I wish to take this opportunity to thank you for your representation at the Regional
Aquatics Center Study Session this past August 26, 2008. The discussion was healthy
and your comments constructive. An outcome of that meeting was the drafting of a series
of logical "next steps." These steps carefully yet deliberately continue the due diligence
necessary for a multi- partner project of this magnitude. These steps are currently
identified as follows:
An indication from each of the three City Councils of their willingness to place
the currently recommended Public Facilities District (PFD) funding. mechanism
consisting of a 0.1% sales tax increment on the ballot for a public vote at some
point in the future. If any of the three cities are unwilling to indicate their
willingness to do so, it will be imperative to stop and reconsider funding options
before work is done and costs incurred.
2. Subsequent to the indication of willingness from the three cities to place the PFD
funding mechanism to a vote, Yakima Resources (owners of the old Boise
Cascade mill site) and Yakima County (owners of the State Fair Park) will be
asked to respond to a Request for Proposals for the donation of land and operation
of the aquatics facility after construction is completed. The land donation, may
have conditions and attendant requirements or obligations that should be
identified. The operations proposal should use the operational framework found
in the USKH Feasibility Study for the purposes of analysis and comparison.
3. The City of Yakima Aquatics Committee would review the formal proposals .and
make a recommendation to the full Council. The full City of Yakima Council
would make a tentative site selection. Needless to say, the cities of Union. Gap.
and Selah would be fully informed of the process and input earnestly sought.
4. The site selected above would then begin to undergo appropriate due diligence in
the form of comprehensive geotechnical site analysis and other important
engineering and technical review. This analysis is necessary to confirm the
constructability of an aquatics facility at the site.
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5. By this point, the site and operational aspects will have been thoroughly vetted
and it would be appropriate to conduct a survey of public opinion on the aquatics
facility proposal.
6. Past this point the City of Yakima would decide on the ballot measure language,
date of election, prepare a fact sheet, and hold Public Meetings or Hearings as
appropriate. An independent citizen group promoting the ballot measure would
be an important facet of the effort because the "city" cannot sponsor, endorse or
support the ballot measure using city resources after it is acted on by the City
Council.
Therefore, as the steps above are presented in sequence, the city of Yakima is requesting
an indication of your willingness to join together to place the PFD 0.1% sales tax
measure on the ballot at the appropriate time in the future. The City of Yakima will make
the same declaration. Importantly, if you find that you are unable to state a willingness to
put this measure to your citizens due to remaining unanswered questions you have, please
do not hesitate to contact me. I will arrange further opportunity for all your questions to
be answered to the best of our ability. We await your response and hope that our efforts
to create a vision of what a facility of this type could mean to the region is compelling.
Sincerely,
Dave Edler, Mayor
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