Aquatic center dealt setback from planning board

POLSON — It’s been a long road for Mission Valley Aquatics — and it’s a 1,450-ft-long road that has created the most recent setback for the non-profit group working to build a public indoor aquatic center in Polson.

Happily for MVA, they have been given the official go ahead to begin construction immediately. On Tuesday, Aug. 9, the Polson City/County Planning Board approved the group’s special use permit. But to the distress of MVA leaders, it’s not going to be that simple.

The group had asked the city’s planning board to consider the entrance to the pool a “private road,” paved 18-ft wide, but prepared underneath to 26-ft with gravel and ditches. As the Ridgewater subdivision’s development continues, MVA said the road would be widened, re-paved and improved with features like curbs and gutters to bring the road up to city street code.

To open Tuesday night’s meeting, city manager Todd Crossett told the planning board that his staff recommended approving the special use permit with provision 16b, which outlined the requirements for building a private road. He said the city’s attorney, James Raymond, interpreted the code to accept Mission Valley Aquatics as a “single user,” thus classifying the road as private.

However, members of the planning board took exception to the plan, saying the route did not in fact meet the city’s definition of a private road.

City planning board chair Bob Fulton responded to the request by asking the MVA architect, “What is your definition of a driveway?” and stated his opinion that since the road in question could be used to access several other parcels near the site, he did not agree with the city’s recommendation.

“I understand your request and I applaud your effort,” Fulton told MVA board president Hu Beaver during the ensuing debate. “But our job is to follow the code and the code is very clear.”

After nearly an hour of discussion, board member Mike Lies made a motion to accept the permit with provision 16a, the standard 26-ft with curbs and gutters. The motion passed with all but one member’s vote.

“If the city attorney says it’s okay, that’s good enough for me,” planning board member Tim McGinnis, the only member of the board to vote against the motion, said.

The price on the proposed 18-ft road is approximately $175,000, MVA project director Tana Seeley said. The extra eight feet with curbs and gutters will add about $225,000 to the total cost of building the pool’s phase one — a cost, the board, its architect and supporters described as not only unnecessary, but also shortsighted.

“That’s a huge expense,” Seeley said. “We feel that the 26-ft road is not necessary, given it is going across a subdivision that is not developed — not to mention, the road will have to be torn up once those properties are added with water and sewer lines. It really does seem like a waste to have to build and then re-build.”

Members of the group said the additional cost could compromise some of the desired features of the facility. The project is still $600,000 short of reaching the capital needed to complete the first phase and an additional $300,000 short of its goal for phase two, building a warm water therapy pool.

“This isn’t a roadblock for us necessarily, but it will add considerable cost to the site development and could mean losing some features of the pool,” Seeley said.

In light of this added cost and the potential for multiple interpretations of the city’s code, Seeley said MVA will be appealing the decision within the next few days and asking the city’s board of adjustments to reconsider the road’s classification, including the road width mandate.

Under the Polson Development Code, a private road does not have to comply with all standards of a city road, but it does have to be acceptable to the fire chief, Crossett said. Polson Fire Chief John Fairchild signed off on the special use permit, stating that 20 feet would be sufficient for his vehicles to access in the case of an emergency.

Several members of the MVA board and supporters of the project were in attendance at the meeting. MVA board member David Waterman shared his enthusiasm for the pool project and hoped that the board would recognize the economic boost the facility could bring to the area.

MVA has a window of 10 days to submit an appeal to the city, after which point, a board of adjustments will hold a public meeting and vote on the complaint.