Ad hoc committee set to begin aquatic center planning June 5

A 21-member ad hoc committee will meet June 5 to begin detailing plans for a new indoor aquatic center in Cape Girardeau.

The committee will meet as needed over the next several months, with a goal of completing its research by this fall, said former Mayor Jay Knudtson, who will serve on the committee.

Former Mayor Harry Rediger also will serve as a member. Cape Girardeau School Board president Jeff Glenn will chair the group, according to a news release.

Committee members also include Cape Girardeau City Councilwoman Stacy Kinder, representatives of the parks and recreation department, swimming clubs and the two local hospitals, athletic directors from area high schools and Southeast Missouri State University, and members of the community including residents of Cape Girardeau’s south-side neighborhood.

Knudtson said Friday the committee was organized to include all the stakeholders who have interest in or could have interest in the facility.

The committee’s task is to determine what stakeholders need in a 50-meter pool and “how you get there,” Knudtson said.

Location will not be an issue. That decision already has been made, he said. The Cape Girardeau City Council and the school board have agreed the aquatic center will be built adjacent to Jefferson Elementary School.

The ad hoc committee, which will follow up on the efforts of a previous city-school committee, will make recommendations to the council and school board.

“This committee is not a decision-making body,” Knudtson said. “At the end of the day, this is more information gathering.”

The council and school board will have the final say on the proposed project, he said.

The previous aquatic committee was comprised of six members, representing the city government and the Cape Girardeau School District.

“There were people who felt they were left out of the process,” Knudtson said, explaining why the new committee is so much larger.

Knudtson said this committee also includes minorities.

The group’s first meeting will be held at 4 p.m. June 5 at the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce office at 220 N. Fountain St.

A full agenda is set for the first meeting, including a historical review of the pool project and a beginning discussion of wants and needs for the new pool, according to the news release.

Knudtson and Rediger are slated to report on their efforts to secure additional funding for the project on top of the $10 million approved by voters.

A city parks tax, approved by voters last year, included $6 million in funding for the project.

In April, voters in the Cape Girardeau School District approved a $12 million bond issue, which earmarks $4 million toward construction of an aquatic center to replace the aging Central Municipal Pool.

It has been estimated construction of an aquatic center with a 50-meter pool could cost $15 million.

Knudtson said he expects a consultant will be hired to drill down on the cost to see whether the project can be done for less.

“It is still an elusive number,” he said of the cost of the project.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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