Gasconade County Republican

Owensville Park Board members will meet at City Hall at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 7, to finalize a proposal seeking  approval by the city’s Board of Aldermen for an April ballot issue to construct a new water park and municipal pool facility.

Park Board members have been discussing the issue over the past two months and are prepared to bring a funding request of $1.65 million to the Board of Aldermen which meet at 7 p.m.; aldermen will need to approve an ordinance calling for a General Obligation bond issue on the April 2 ballot. Approval of the bond issue requires a four-sevenths majority from city voters.

The pool proposal includes a large, circular water slide, a four-lane lap swim area in conjunction with a diving board in a 12-foot deep end, a 3-foot deep “lazy river” section connecting with the pool, and water-spraying play stations in the shallow end of a zero-entry-designed structure. A new pool bathhouse is also planned. If approved by voters, the plan calls for the facility to be constructed at the existing pool site with demolition of the existing structure scheduled immediately following the 2013 swimming season.

A construction contingency and all bonding costs are included in the  request for the bond issue. Approval by aldermen on the ballot language is required by Jan. 22 to be certified for the April Municipal Election ballot. If approved by aldermen, the city will ask for approval to issue bonds for a 16-year period with an increase to the levy of 31 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. A homeowner of a $100,000 home would pay an additional $59 per year.