I’ve read many of the letters in the Reporter that are against the ARC [Aquatics, Recreation and Community center] and the MPD [Metropolitan Parks District] for a variety of reasons. Many make claims that are simply not true. I’ve been involved in the public process for the past two years, attending numerous meetings with the City Council, the city staff, the Kirkland Park Board and Park Staff, to discuss and develop plans for the ARC and the Metropolitan Park District measure on the November ballot.

There is a need for this facility. Many cities in the US comparable in size to Kirkland have public recreational facilities similar to the ARC. They are well used and considered an asset to the community. Our community center programs are filled to capacity and there is much unfilled demand that cannot be met by the existing centers. The Juanita Pool will eventually close. It will not be remodeled or maintained. Furthermore, there are not several Olympic-size pools in Seattle and Bellevue. There are none in Bellevue.

There is one indoor Olympic-size pool in Federal Way. There is one outdoor Olympic-size pool in West Seattle, open from the end of May to the beginning of September. That’s it for Western Washington. If the ARC includes a 50-meter pool, it will be the only year-round Olympic-size pool between Federal Way and the Canadian border.

The MPD will not set the tax rate to the state-law allowed maximum of 75 cents per $1,000 (valuation of property). The rate will be set at what is needed to fund construction of the ARC, expected to be 25 cents per $1,000. It may be less if assessments go up (as we are seeing now) and sufficient money to fund the ARC can be collected at a lower rate. The 25-cent target was established based on detailed cost estimates for the facility and the projected cost of land.

Like I said above, I have been involved in the many public forums, meetings, surveys and discussions on this project for the past two years. The city has been transparent and inclusive. Proposition 1 represents the most efficient, cost-effective way to build the ARC, a facility that we need and want. The MPD saves taxpayers money. Vote for Prop. 1 in November.

Rick Colella, Kirkland