Mission Valley Aquatics: Building for the future

POLSON — If you’ve ever dangled your toes over the edge of a pool, you know that dreaded feeling that comes when you’re about to jump in. That moment when your warm body is overcome with the cool water, you feel both refreshed, and a bit panicked, all at once.

If you’re like me and love to swim but foolishly cringe at the thought of jumping in, your voice has been heard and Mission Valley Aquatics is building a pool just for you.

Well, not just for you, per se. For you, and all the Mission Valley’s residents — young and old — who will benefit from having a warm water therapy pool alongside the eight-lane main pool the non-profit is building at its Ridgewater site, just south of Polson.

“There are a lot of people in this area that really want the warm water therapy pool,” MVA project director Tana Seeley said. “Everybody is going to love it.”

At 92 degrees, the therapy pool will measure 18x24 feet and gradually deepen from 3.5 to 5.5 feet. It’s positioned on the east side of the facility with an eastern wall of large windows overlooking the Mission Mountains. It’s hard not to picture yourself there, right now, wading in the warm water, floating on the surface or hanging on the wall, lightly kicking your feet.

From the elderly who can’t get outside to exercise in the winter months, to young children who are learning to swim and don’t last as long in the cooler water before turning blue and losing focus, the warm water therapy pool will accommodate a wide range of recreational swimmers and individuals taking advantage of things like parent-toddler swim lessons, physical therapy and water aerobics.

The pool has been a major selling-point with both donors and future patrons alike, but it comes with a hefty price tag. While the therapy pool’s priority was always high, because the non-profit experienced a slow down in fundraising when the economy turned south a few years ago, it was originally placed in construction’s Phase II plan. With an estimated cost of $300,000, the board of directors decided to put off building it until they could raise the funds to pay for it.

That all changed a few months ago when Seeley and fellow board member Raina Stene attended a pool builder’s conference in Seattle.

“We were hesitant to pull the trigger on the therapy pool because we didn’t have the funds, but we have been strongly advised by USA Swimming not to build just one pool,” Seeley said. “They say “T-A-D” — the three key things to programming are: Temperature, and 92 degrees is key to bringing more people to your facility; Access, you can have lots of different programs going on at one time; and Depth, having that shallower area will be perfect for low impact fitness classes and for everyone to feel comfortable.”

With that in mind, and knowing that ultimately the cost of building it would increase dramatically if the therapy pool had to be added later, the board went ahead and added the therapy pool to construction Phase I, which has been in progress since July.

“We definitely hope that by adding this therapy pool it will bring more support to the project,” Seeley said. “It’s been well-received by many people in the community and it’s just going to be really nice for everyone to be able to go sit in a little bit warmer water — it’s relaxation — it’s not a hot tub but it’s a great spot to wind down.”

Before pool-goers can wind down, however, MVA needs them to step up and donate to the cost of building this new addition.

“We are now seeking a $1.5 million loan so that we can keep construction on pace and open the doors in August, otherwise we’d have to take a break and continue fundraising,” Seeley said. “There have been a lot of unexpected costs, construction costs have been higher in some areas than we thought, and then we added the therapy pool.”

The group is working with the USDA’s Community Facilities Loan Guarantee Program in order to buy more time to continue to fundraise. Local banks are supportive of the project, so MVA is seeking a USDA loan guarantee, meaning five local banks could come together and do a loan package backed by USDA to, say, 90 percent. Their proposal is now at the state level and the board is waiting anxiously to hear whether it will be approved.

“It would enable the local banks to grant a loan at a lower interest rate,” Seeley said. “We feel good about it — this facility isn’t going to be extravagant, but we are making decisions to make this facility last.”

The 2011-2012 tax cycle initiated the collection of the voter-approved mill levy, which passed in January 2008 for the recreation district with boundaries extending from Elmo to Yellow Bay and Minesinger Road. The ballot read that it would go into effect when the construction of the facility begins. It will cover two-thirds of the operating and maintenance fees necessary to run the facility, the remaining third will come from user fees and annual pool passes.

Funds from the tax dollars are going into a recreation district account and those funds are being managed by three recreation district board members that have been appointed by the county commissioners: Jill Todd, Melinda Leas and Jens Gran. Their role right now is to review the bylaws, establish their individual responsibilities on the board and set up a regular meeting schedule, all done with the guidance of the county commissioners.

“MVA will submit a budget to the rec district board and they will ensure that the funds are being spent on operation and maintenance only,” Seeley said. “We need those funds to open the doors, there are lots of start-up costs to begin operating a facility.”

With all the visible progress, it’s really generated a buzz of excitement for that opening day in August, now only months away.

“It’s amazing; people are really getting excited about it,” Seeley said. “I got a call the other day, a mom wondering, ‘When is the pool going to be open, my kids really want to have their birthday parties there.’”

After nearly 50 years of a community laying the groundwork and 10 dedicated years of grassroots fundraising, the countdown is on for the aquatic center’s opening day. Lifeguard training will be picking up in the next few months and Seeley has been ticking away at the seemingly endless list of “needs and wants.” From lap swimming equipment to tables and chairs, there is still a lot to buy for the facility.

“I’m picturing opening the doors with posters on the walls, like a wish list – this is what we want to go here, help us buy it – and hopefully people will participate in the vision,” Seeley said.

And that community-driven attitude is what has carried this project from day one. The group’s message has been clear: it’s not a health club, but a place that encourages “what matters most: the health of our entire community and the safety of our children.”

“We feel good about it, we feel good about where we’re at — there’s no turning back,” Seeley said.

Pledges to MVA can be made to PayPal at http://www.mvaquatics.org or by downloading a pledge form online and mailing it in. Seeley can be reached at (406) 883-4567 for questions, comments or over-the-phone donations.