The city of Kirkland Parks and Community Services Department is telling citizens that the proposed Aquatics Recreation Center (ARC) will cover the costs of operations. This is a wildly optimistic projection, not based on what is going on with municipal pools and municipal recreation centers, both regionally and nationally.

I have been a parks and recreation professional for 28 years, providing management and budget over site at community recreational centers and two municipal pools in Edmonds and Bremerton. A well run municipal pool recovers about 60-65 percent of it’s operating costs in fees. I have yet to see a city recreational center be profitable.

Almost all pools nationally and locally require public subsidies. Kirkland’s ARC wont be any different, but you don’t find any of this information in their business plan. Before the city even contemplate asking tax payers to build an estimated $50 million plus pool, they should have financial partners participating, like the Lake Washington School District, the Boys and Girls Club, the YMCA or other joint operating agreements with other communities.

This is too big of a tax burden for Kirkland residents to carry, without any certainty about location and land costs, without financial partners and without realistic revenue projections. You can hire consultants to tell you just about anything and in this case, the consultants are telling the Council and staff what they want to hear.

Now is not the right time to pay for a pool. It is time to take care of the parks that we do have in Kirkland that have fallen in to neglect.

Take care of your existing property inventory, before expanding it.

Patrick Harris, Kirkland