The proposal for a YMCA-ran pool in Battle Ground hasn’t received county support yet as the Clark County Council isn’t in agreement on what role it should play in the project.
During an Aug. 31 work session, the county council agreed to bring a request of $1 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for an aquatic facility in Battle Ground back for discussions in the following week. If built, the 18,000-square-foot facility would be located on Rasmussen Boulevard east of state Route 503.
In July, project backers asked the Battle Ground City Council to waive or defer development fees for the facility. At the time, the city council voted for Battle Ground’s city manager to work with Westby Associates and the YMCA of Columbia-Willamette on what those waivers and deferrals would look like.
At the county council’s work session, Mike Westby, CEO of Westby Associates, said he asked to know what the county’s position on the project was when it was brought up at the city council meeting. When the county discussed it, he wanted to know what movement the city had taken on the project.
“We’ve been in this sort of, I think, fair-minded brinkmanship of who’s going to be the first to lead,” Westby said.
He said if the county made the first move, it could help convince those in Battle Ground’s government to gain momentum.
“If you act at that level, I think you send a message back to them, and they’ve asked for you to do that,” Westby said.
County councilor Julie Olson noted Ridgefield has its own YMCA project in the works, which will include a pool.
“They didn’t come to us asking for money,” Olson said.
Eddie White, executive director for the Clark County-based region of the YMCA of Columbia-Willamette, said market studies on both locations determined there wouldn’t be direct competition between the Ridgefield facility and the Battle Ground proposal.
White said the Ridgefield YMCA is not fully funded yet. The project was previously estimated to cost about $20 million, and includes fitness facilities and a basketball gym. The Battle Ground project would exclusively be an aquatic facility and is projected to cost $13 million.
Though she supported the YMCA’s projects, Olson didn’t feel it was the county’s business to throw support behind the projects.
“I don’t believe it’s our role to get involved with this and I certainly don’t think ARPA money is the way to go when we have so many other opportunities to put that money into other areas,” Olson said.
Olson asked if the facility even qualifies for ARPA funding.
“I don’t want to spend a lot of time going through this process if we’re not sure that there’s a way to structure it that it would be allowable,” Olson said.
Clark County Finance Director Mark Gassaway said the funding depends on what populations the project would serve. Determining that would require additional work to study the impact.
Councilor Gary Medvigy said the health benefits of the facility should make it a candidate for ARPA funding.
“It’s directly related to the health and welfare of our community. I couldn’t imagine that it wouldn’t qualify, depending on how it’s structured,” Medvigy said.
Medvigy was one of two councilors who voted to approve the $1 million at the work session. He said he didn’t believe the project is “strictly a city issue” given its potential impact on areas outside of city limits.
“We can be a part of something that will be in place for generations,” Medvigy said.
Medvigy acknowledged he’s received “mixed messages” so far from discussions with city representatives. That could change if the county allocated the funding, he said.
“I really think we should signal to them that we think this is a valued commitment for not just Battle Ground, but the whole surrounding unincorporated area,” Medvigy said.
Councilor Richard Rylander also supported putting the ARPA funding toward the facility. He said the project has been in discussion for several years.
“It is something we believe would benefit not just the Battle Ground area, but much of the north county,” Rylander said.
Rylander acknowledged there remained a number of unknowns for project funding. He noted the county had time given the deadline to allocate ARPA funds for projects is at the end of 2024.
Rylander supported putting the $1 million toward the facility contingent on successful fundraising by project backers and Battle Ground supporting the project.
“I’m convinced that if the county, even with these contingencies, will send the signal that we are prepared to back and support the program … (and) that will potentially have a positive impact on the actions of the Battle Ground City Council,” Rylander said.
Olson, council chair Karen Bowerman and councilor Temple Lentz did not support the approval of the $1 million. Lentz said she isn’t convinced the county making the first move would help get the project moving.
“This is something that I want to hear from the city of Battle Ground with one voice — not individual councilors or ‘someone said this to someone else’ — that there is support for this,” Lentz said.
Council agreed to move the discussion to the following week under the assumption the Battle Ground City Council would discuss the project at its Sept. 6 meeting. As of press deadline, discussion of the facility was not on that meeting’s agenda.
