Students and residents of the city of Madison will be enjoying a much wetter summer in 2005. Citizens voted Tuesday in favor of a referendum allowing Franklin Field and Warner Park to serve as possible locations for the addition of Madison’s first municipal pool.
These two additional locations add to the current three locations, which are Elver Park on the far west side, Heistand Wood Conservation Park on the far east side and Reindahl Park on the east side. The two new possible sites are on opposite sides of town — Warner Park on the north side and Franklin Field on the south side.
The majority of city voters, approximately 70 percent, supported the referendum allowing the municipal pool to be built at a shoreline park. This passing referendum was required because city law prohibits the construction of large structures on city shoreline parks. This law helped defeat a similar pool proposal at Olin-Turville Park in 1992, according to swimming pool committee member Nino Amato.
Amato said this pool campaign differs greatly from the 1992 campaign because this committee was better organized, utilized hard data and included a number of serious hearings with involvement from citizens.
“This time there was increased community participation,” Amato said.
Ald. Austin King, District 8, said he voted in favor of the pool and was especially happy with its overwhelming approval.
“We need as many options as possible,” King said. “The turf issues and the geography wars will take over for the next few months.”
King said he is leaning toward a centralized pool location such as Franklin Field.
Amato said the passing referendum means two things for the city: the city has accepted the change in a city ordinance to allow the pool to be built and the citizens of Madison are sending a message that they now want a municipal pool.
The proposed family aquatic center will include a zero-depth pool and deep water slides. The zero-depth pool is similar to water park wave pools.
“This had been a battle since 1946,” Amato said. “When I was a student on the City Council back in the ’70s, we were battling the same thing.”
The funding for a municipal pool has changed considerably since 1946. The current financing would include a $2 million gift from the Goodman brothers, $100,000 from CUNA Insurance and $500,000 from the mayor’s 2005 budget. This, however, still may not be enough to cover the costs.
Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz has put together a fundraising team to help offset the cost difference. The team includes former County Executive Rick Phelps, Gary Wolter of Madison Gas and Electric and local community activist George Austin.
Amato said the strong support from the mayor as well as the $2 million gift from the Goodman brothers helped push the proposal along.
The swimming pool committee will select the final three locations at their next meeting Nov. 8. The committee is then expected to select a finalized site by Thanksgiving with the expected groundbreaking in July 2005.
