“We’ve been talking about a potential Community Center for years, and this November, residents will have a chance to vote,” on one, Mayor Myron Bailey shared in his most recent ‘Mayor’s Moment’ for the month of July.

With the Thompson Grove Country Club at 85th Street South and Granada now consigned to the past, the City of Cottage Grove is proposing to build a new community Center with aquatics facilities, to be located at/near the junction of County Road 19, Keats Avenue, and East Point Douglas Road by Ravine Park. The monthly updates have mostly focused on the positives of the City’s proposal, along with the existing demand for such facilities.

“First I will say that hundreds of residents have been asking for this amenity for years,” Bailey says of the aquatics center—but that’s not all.

“Through our extensive studies of aquatics facilities, we’ve discovered that while indoor pools can operate year-round, the play and swimming experience we can provide in an outdoor pool far exceeds that of an indoor pool, through an enormous reduction on construction and annual operating costs,” Bailey shares with residents.

Taking from this that the outdoor option excels the indoor one, Bailey then goes on to describe the site plans, including a 50-meter pool “that can be enjoyed by residents and used by swim teams for competition,” Bailey says.

“As a regional asset, a 50-meter (Olympic-size) pool allows us to rally for state funds and partner with area swim clubs. Included in the amenity as well would be an inflatable course, zip line, and rock climbing, along with a shallow-water pool to provide a tots play area—and there’s more.

“A lazy river is also included in the plan, as are plenty of areas for…lounge seating throughout the complex,” Bailey says. So what about the cost?

“While there will be a fee to use the facility, Cottage Grove residents will obviously receive a discounted rate,” Bailey shares in the July ‘Mayor’s Minute,’ adding that the August installment will include information on an indoor playground feature at the proposed Community Center.

Although no construction cost is included with the July Mayor’s Minute, previous reports from this Spring indicate that the price tag for construction and completion could be over $30 million. The referendum this November would help decide whether the construction cost is worth the many benefits the pool would offer.