While many races were uncontested in the April 1 election, one of the most notable items on the ballot was a referendum regarding a public pool in Waterloo.

The dust from the election now settled and the referendum voted down by a margin of 57.55 to 42.45 percent, Waterloo Citizens for a Pool President Amy Grandcolas offered her thoughts on the election, the response she heard from voters and what the future holds for WCP and a possible pool.

As she said, many within the nonprofit organization were rather surprised by the result as they’d anticipated the race to be closer than it turned out.

Grandcolas suggested this optimism was indicative of the strength of WCP’s proposal as those who were familiar with the construction plan, maintenance cost coverage and particulars of how a bond functions were more positive about the referendum.

Ultimately, the results were less than uplifting for WCP members.

“Understandably, both myself and the members of WCP were disappointed at the election results,” Grandcolas said. “Personally, I was not particularly surprised at the results. In the weeks leading up to the election, concerns grew based on low attendance at the three town hall options we hosted, as well as a lack of door-to-door canvassing and several falsities touted on social media and among the ‘local water coolers.’”

A number of these apparent “falsities” or misunderstandings emerged in the weeks leading up to the election – most notably on Facebook.

As the Republic-Times observed in the Facebook group The Waterlooians, a number of folks commented or posted suggesting that the pool idea had been recently rejected by voters when the last pool referendum was actually over a decade ago.

Others offered various figures and cost estimates which were in stark contrast to those gathered by WCP in working with aquatics companies and accountants in recent years.

Still others made – potentially sarcastic – comments about the pool being funded by the city when the Waterloo Park District and City of Waterloo are separate taxing entities.

Of course, as Grandcolas noted, the chief concern among residents was the possibility of their taxes increasing.

She said the timing of the election also seemed to be a disadvantage for the referendum as a number of folks saw higher estimates on their property assessments and generally felt economic struggle amid inflation and other issues, further dissuading them from the possibility of bonds adding any more to their tax bills.

“Ultimately, we understand that anytime residents are asked to approve a tax increase it is going to be a hard sell, and unfortunately it seems we did not get in front of enough voters to make that sale and clarify any misconceptions and concerns voters may have had,” Grandcolas said.

Looking back, she said WCP could have done more to expose voters to a full explanation of the bond process and the proposed funding plan as well as articulating the real financial impact on taxpayers.

Grandcolas questioned how many folks actually looked at the one-page mailers WCP sent out to provide an overview of the plan, and she added more attention drawn to the town hall events as well as more door-to-door presence might have helped get WCP’s explanation of the referendum to the voters that might have swayed the result.

While the referendum was turned down and many were vocal about their distaste for heightened taxes, Grandcolas said she did hear a fair share of positivity.

Many citizens who spoke in favor of a public pool referenced their own childhood experiences with the old community pool on North Library Street, or spoke to the benefits such a facility might have as a space for the community and youth in particular.

Grandcolas also reiterated that folks who were familiarized with WCP’s explanation of the referendum, tax impact and construction and maintenance costs were very receptive.

“For the most part, we did see and continue to see a general agreement that a community pool would be an asset and benefit for the community, with only a handful of individuals arguing against that point,” Grandcolas said. “Valid concerns for the annual and ongoing maintenance costs were raised, and when brought up directly to WCP or others that had familiarized themselves with the funding plan, voters felt much more at ease and comfortable – especially once they learned that the park district would not have been obligated to issue the bond if enough capital funds were not raised to cover any annual deficit and ongoing maintenance costs.”

With many years of effort from WCP members put into the referendum, Grandcolas said the group still plans to push for a pool in the future, though with the recent referendum, an annual St. Paddy’s Day 5K and beginnings of the capital campaign, the organization plans to take things easy for a time.

“Right now it is hard to imagine going through the referendum process again, but in many communities it takes several attempts to get referendums to pass,” Grandcolas said. “We do also plan to research a couple of ‘out of the box’ options that could facilitate a public pool with little to no increase in property taxes.”

She also responded to a suggestion raised by several individuals that those in the community who are interested in a pool simply pay for it themselves by working with a private pool company such as those found in communities like Columbia.

Grandcolas emphasized that such an idea was antithetical to WCP’s goal of establishing an open and accessible space for the wider community rather than a private pool with expensive membership fees that often have lengthy wait lists.

Emphasizing her own and WCP’s intentions to continue pursuing a community pool in the future, Grandcolas spoke to the interest in and need for a pool she’s heard both in recent weeks and the past decade.

“Anytime a new business, bar, or restaurant is announced in Waterloo, you inevitably hear groans and complaints from residents that would prefer to see something for kids or families to do,” Grandcolas said. “I personally am someone that feels strongly about taking action on those thoughts and bettering our community for everyone currently and for future generations, and this is the mindset of the members of WCP. So, whether it involves an annual 5K that brings a wide cross section of people to downtown Waterloo to spend a morning together or finding a way to bring a community pool back to Waterloo, we will keep doing what we can to facilitate those improvements for our community, particularly when it helps residents better engage with one another in a recreational setting.”

For more on the Waterloo Citizens for a Pool organization, visit waterloopool.com.