Steve Oulman Letter to the Editor 8/2/2023

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Here is your chance to respond to the Steve Oulman Letter to the Editor in Methow Valley News 8/2/2023

A real priority?

Dear Editor:

The question whether to fund an indoor aquatic center is heading for the November ballot. It is good that there will be healthy community debate about the merits of the proposal. A simple question: How is it that the positive, honest discussion about replacing the aging Wagner Memorial Pool in Twisp spun out of control into a referendum about whether the community should tax itself for an expensive indoor aquatic center that no community of comparable size in the country has? If it were built in the future, the cost likely would be at least $25 million plus $1 million each year to maintain. The cost to households is well-documented and not insignificant.

It did not have to be like this, but here we are. Is this a priority for our community?

If you support replacing the current pool but are skeptical of the extravagance of an indoor aquatic center, you have little choice than to vote no on the aquatic center and hope that the next proposal will be something appropriate to the needs of the community.

Learn about the details. Demand answers about cost estimates and governance of the proposed tax district. Vote in November.

Steve Oulman