After years of planning, an aquatic recreation center is one step closer to becoming a reality for South Whidbey.

Last week, commissioners for the South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District approved the signing of a contract for the major project and settled on a levy amount to put before the voters in November.

The aquatic facility received nine bids. Puyallup-based company Lincoln Construction submitted the lowest and winning bid at $25.2 million. As Executive Director Brian Tomisser explained, signing the contract with a builder now, as opposed to waiting, means the pool will be built at the lowest possible cost, but it also means some of the alternative items for the project will be lost.

The commissioners waded into a meaty discussion about which additional aspects should be included in the total project cost. The general consensus seemed to be that party rooms, which cost $250,240, will help raise revenue for the district. They also favored adding the finishing touches for an AV system to make announcements throughout the building, priced at $38,624.

Commissioner Matt Simms made a strong case for the Myrtha material for the pool, which was the most expensive alternative item at $1.1 million, for its 25-year warranty and draw for swim meets that could raise revenue, but none of the others supported this addition.

Commissioners were torn on whether to include office space in the facility for additional staff, which costs $191,488, ultimately deciding against it because the space will not be big enough to accommodate the entire parks and rec district staff anyway.

With the party rooms and AV system added in, this brings the cost of the aquatic recreation center to $25.5 million. Simms was the sole “nay” vote on this decision. Though voters approved a $27 million bond in 2023 for the pool, it will not be enough to cover the total cost when factoring in additional expenses such as design, permitting and project management.

The district’s current maintenance and operations levy rate is 22 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, and Tomisser proposed raising it to 45 cents for four years, which will bring in about $1 million in revenue.

Simms suggested the new levy rate should be 47 cents, allowing for an extra cushion since the facility’s exact revenue is not yet known, but the commissioners ended up supporting 46 cents instead after some deliberation. The measure will appear on the general election ballot this November.

The district will still have to find additional funding sources for the project, especially if the levy doesn’t pass.