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PETITION TO LIMIT MERRIAM I-35 REDEVELOPMENT TIF DISTRICT Petition to Limit Merriam I-35 Redevelopment TIF District Fund Expenditures Made Without a Public Vote to Amounts of $1 Million andBelow Page 1 of 2
SHALL THE FOLLOWING BE ADOPTED? ORDINANCE NO. AN ORDINANCE Petition to Require Retaining the Current Aquatics in Vavra Park, Merriam, Kansas or Replacing with Equivalent Outdoor Aquatics We the undersigned qualified and registered electors in the City of Merriam, Kansas, request, pursuant to K.S.A. 12-3013 MERRIAM CONCERNED CITIZENS City Council Meeting Monday, September 10, 2018 7PM - City Hall. 9001 W 62nd St, Merriam, KS 66202 PETITION TO REQUIRE ELECTOR APPROVAL BEFORE THE CITY OF Petition to Require Elector Approval Before the City of Merriam, Kansas May Sell, Lease, Give or Otherwise Transfer Any Portion of RealProperty
PETITION TO LIMIT MERRIAM I-35 REDEVELOPMENT TIF DISTRICT Petition to Limit Merriam I-35 Redevelopment TIF District Fund Expenditures Made Without a Public Vote to Amounts of $1 Million andBelow Page 1 of 2
SHALL THE FOLLOWING BE ADOPTED? ORDINANCE NO. AN ORDINANCE Petition to Require Retaining the Current Aquatics in Vavra Park, Merriam, Kansas or Replacing with Equivalent Outdoor Aquatics We the undersigned qualified and registered electors in the City of Merriam, Kansas, request, pursuant to K.S.A. 12-3013 MERRIAM CONCERNED CITIZENS City Council Meeting Monday, September 10, 2018 7PM - City Hall. 9001 W 62nd St, Merriam, KS 66202 PETITION TO REQUIRE ELECTOR APPROVAL BEFORE THE CITY OF Petition to Require Elector Approval Before the City of Merriam, Kansas May Sell, Lease, Give or Otherwise Transfer Any Portion of RealProperty
PETITION TO LIMIT MERRIAM I-35 REDEVELOPMENT TIF DISTRICT Petition to Limit Merriam I-35 Redevelopment TIF District Fund Expenditures Made Without a Public Vote to Amounts of $1 Million andBelow Page 1 of 2
SHALL THE FOLLOWING BE ADOPTED? ORDINANCE NO. AN ORDINANCE Petition to Require Retaining the Current Aquatics in Vavra Park, Merriam, Kansas or Replacing with Equivalent Outdoor Aquatics We the undersigned qualified and registered electors in the City of Merriam, Kansas, request, pursuant to K.S.A. 12-3013 MERRIAM CONCERNED CITIZENS City Council Meeting Monday, September 10, 2018 7PM - City Hall. 9001 W 62nd St, Merriam, KS 66202 PETITION TO REQUIRE ELECTOR APPROVAL BEFORE THE CITY OF Petition to Require Elector Approval Before the City of Merriam, Kansas May Sell, Lease, Give or Otherwise Transfer Any Portion of RealProperty
PETITION TO LIMIT MERRIAM I-35 REDEVELOPMENT TIF DISTRICT Petition to Limit Merriam I-35 Redevelopment TIF District Fund Expenditures Made Without a Public Vote to Amounts of $1 Million andBelow Page 1 of 2
SHALL THE FOLLOWING BE ADOPTED? ORDINANCE NO. AN ORDINANCE Petition to Require Retaining the Current Aquatics in Vavra Park, Merriam, Kansas or Replacing with Equivalent Outdoor Aquatics We the undersigned qualified and registered electors in the City of Merriam, Kansas, request, pursuant to K.S.A. 12-3013 MERRIAM CONCERNED CITIZENS City Council Meeting Monday, September 10, 2018 7PM - City Hall. 9001 W 62nd St, Merriam, KS 66202 PETITION TO REQUIRE ELECTOR APPROVAL BEFORE THE CITY OF Petition to Require Elector Approval Before the City of Merriam, Kansas May Sell, Lease, Give or Otherwise Transfer Any Portion of RealProperty
PETITION TO LIMIT MERRIAM I-35 REDEVELOPMENT TIF DISTRICT Petition to Limit Merriam I-35 Redevelopment TIF District Fund Expenditures Made Without a Public Vote to Amounts of $1 Million andBelow Page 1 of 2
SHALL THE FOLLOWING BE ADOPTED? ORDINANCE NO. AN ORDINANCE Petition to Require Retaining the Current Aquatics in Vavra Park, Merriam, Kansas or Replacing with Equivalent Outdoor Aquatics We the undersigned qualified and registered electors in the City of Merriam, Kansas, request, pursuant to K.S.A. 12-3013 MERRIAM CONCERNED CITIZENS City Council Meeting Monday, September 10, 2018 7PM - City Hall. 9001 W 62nd St, Merriam, KS 66202 SHALL THE FOLLOWING BE ADOPTED? ORDINANCE NO. AN ORDINANCE Petition to Require Retaining the Current Aquatics in Vavra Park, Merriam, Kansas or Replacing with Equivalent Outdoor Aquatics We the undersigned qualified and registered electors in the City of Merriam, Kansas, request, pursuant to K.S.A. 12-3013 MERRIAM CONCERNED CITIZENS City Council Meeting Monday, September 10, 2018 7PM - City Hall. 9001 W 62nd St, Merriam, KS 66202 PETITION TO REQUIRE ELECTOR APPROVAL BEFORE THE CITY OF Petition to Require Elector Approval Before the City of Merriam, Kansas May Sell, Lease, Give or Otherwise Transfer Any Portion of RealProperty
PETITION TO LIMIT MERRIAM I-35 REDEVELOPMENT TIF DISTRICT Petition to Limit Merriam I-35 Redevelopment TIF District Fund Expenditures Made Without a Public Vote to Amounts of $1 Million andBelow Page 1 of 2
SHALL THE FOLLOWING BE ADOPTED? ORDINANCE NO. AN ORDINANCE Petition to Require Retaining the Current Aquatics in Vavra Park, Merriam, Kansas or Replacing with Equivalent Outdoor Aquatics We the undersigned qualified and registered electors in the City of Merriam, Kansas, request, pursuant to K.S.A. 12-3013 MERRIAM CONCERNED CITIZENS City Council Meeting Monday, September 10, 2018 7PM - City Hall. 9001 W 62nd St, Merriam, KS 66202 PETITION TO REQUIRE ELECTOR APPROVAL BEFORE THE CITY OF Petition to Require Elector Approval Before the City of Merriam, Kansas May Sell, Lease, Give or Otherwise Transfer Any Portion of RealProperty
PETITION TO LIMIT MERRIAM I-35 REDEVELOPMENT TIF DISTRICT Petition to Limit Merriam I-35 Redevelopment TIF District Fund Expenditures Made Without a Public Vote to Amounts of $1 Million andBelow Page 1 of 2
SHALL THE FOLLOWING BE ADOPTED? ORDINANCE NO. AN ORDINANCE Petition to Require Retaining the Current Aquatics in Vavra Park, Merriam, Kansas or Replacing with Equivalent Outdoor Aquatics We the undersigned qualified and registered electors in the City of Merriam, Kansas, request, pursuant to K.S.A. 12-3013 MERRIAM CONCERNED CITIZENS City Council Meeting Monday, September 10, 2018 7PM - City Hall. 9001 W 62nd St, Merriam, KS 66202 SHALL THE FOLLOWING BE ADOPTED? ORDINANCE NO. AN ORDINANCE Petition to Require Retaining the Current Aquatics in Vavra Park, Merriam, Kansas or Replacing with Equivalent Outdoor Aquatics We the undersigned qualified and registered electors in the City of Merriam, Kansas, request, pursuant to K.S.A. 12-3013 MERRIAM CONCERNED CITIZENS City Council Meeting Monday, September 10, 2018 7PM - City Hall. 9001 W 62nd St, Merriam, KS 66202 PETITION TO REQUIRE ELECTOR APPROVAL BEFORE THE CITY OF Petition to Require Elector Approval Before the City of Merriam, Kansas May Sell, Lease, Give or Otherwise Transfer Any Portion of RealProperty
PETITION TO LIMIT MERRIAM I-35 REDEVELOPMENT TIF DISTRICT Petition to Limit Merriam I-35 Redevelopment TIF District Fund Expenditures Made Without a Public Vote to Amounts of $1 Million andBelow Page 1 of 2
SHALL THE FOLLOWING BE ADOPTED? ORDINANCE NO. AN ORDINANCE Petition to Require Retaining the Current Aquatics in Vavra Park, Merriam, Kansas or Replacing with Equivalent Outdoor Aquatics We the undersigned qualified and registered electors in the City of Merriam, Kansas, request, pursuant to K.S.A. 12-3013 MERRIAM CONCERNED CITIZENS City Council Meeting Monday, September 10, 2018 7PM - City Hall. 9001 W 62nd St, Merriam, KS 66202 PETITION TO REQUIRE ELECTOR APPROVAL BEFORE THE CITY OF Petition to Require Elector Approval Before the City of Merriam, Kansas May Sell, Lease, Give or Otherwise Transfer Any Portion of RealProperty
PETITION TO LIMIT MERRIAM I-35 REDEVELOPMENT TIF DISTRICT Petition to Limit Merriam I-35 Redevelopment TIF District Fund Expenditures Made Without a Public Vote to Amounts of $1 Million andBelow Page 1 of 2
SHALL THE FOLLOWING BE ADOPTED? ORDINANCE NO. AN ORDINANCE Petition to Require Retaining the Current Aquatics in Vavra Park, Merriam, Kansas or Replacing with Equivalent Outdoor Aquatics We the undersigned qualified and registered electors in the City of Merriam, Kansas, request, pursuant to K.S.A. 12-3013 MERRIAM CONCERNED CITIZENS City Council Meeting Monday, September 10, 2018 7PM - City Hall. 9001 W 62nd St, Merriam, KS 66202 SHALL THE FOLLOWING BE ADOPTED? ORDINANCE NO. AN ORDINANCE Petition to Require Retaining the Current Aquatics in Vavra Park, Merriam, Kansas or Replacing with Equivalent Outdoor Aquatics We the undersigned qualified and registered electors in the City of Merriam, Kansas, request, pursuant to K.S.A. 12-3013 MERRIAM CONCERNED CITIZENS City Council Meeting Monday, September 10, 2018 7PM - City Hall. 9001 W 62nd St, Merriam, KS 66202 PETITION TO REQUIRE ELECTOR APPROVAL BEFORE THE CITY OF Petition to Require Elector Approval Before the City of Merriam, Kansas May Sell, Lease, Give or Otherwise Transfer Any Portion of RealProperty
PETITION TO LIMIT MERRIAM I-35 REDEVELOPMENT TIF DISTRICT Petition to Limit Merriam I-35 Redevelopment TIF District Fund Expenditures Made Without a Public Vote to Amounts of $1 Million andBelow Page 1 of 2
SHALL THE FOLLOWING BE ADOPTED? ORDINANCE NO. AN ORDINANCE Petition to Require Retaining the Current Aquatics in Vavra Park, Merriam, Kansas or Replacing with Equivalent Outdoor Aquatics We the undersigned qualified and registered electors in the City of Merriam, Kansas, request, pursuant to K.S.A. 12-3013 MERRIAM CONCERNED CITIZENS City Council Meeting Monday, September 10, 2018 7PM - City Hall. 9001 W 62nd St, Merriam, KS 66202 PETITION TO REQUIRE ELECTOR APPROVAL BEFORE THE CITY OF Petition to Require Elector Approval Before the City of Merriam, Kansas May Sell, Lease, Give or Otherwise Transfer Any Portion of RealProperty
PETITION TO LIMIT MERRIAM I-35 REDEVELOPMENT TIF DISTRICT Petition to Limit Merriam I-35 Redevelopment TIF District Fund Expenditures Made Without a Public Vote to Amounts of $1 Million andBelow Page 1 of 2
SHALL THE FOLLOWING BE ADOPTED? ORDINANCE NO. AN ORDINANCE Petition to Require Retaining the Current Aquatics in Vavra Park, Merriam, Kansas or Replacing with Equivalent Outdoor Aquatics We the undersigned qualified and registered electors in the City of Merriam, Kansas, request, pursuant to K.S.A. 12-3013 MERRIAM CONCERNED CITIZENS City Council Meeting Monday, September 10, 2018 7PM - City Hall. 9001 W 62nd St, Merriam, KS 66202 SHALL THE FOLLOWING BE ADOPTED? ORDINANCE NO. AN ORDINANCE Petition to Require Retaining the Current Aquatics in Vavra Park, Merriam, Kansas or Replacing with Equivalent Outdoor Aquatics We the undersigned qualified and registered electors in the City of Merriam, Kansas, request, pursuant to K.S.A. 12-3013*
* Our Concerns
* The Data
* about
* Petition
* Contact
Merriam Concerned Citizens CRITICAL COMMUNITY CENTER ACTION DATES TO REMEMBER*
CITY COUNCIL MEETING MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 20187PM - CITY HALL
9001 W 62nd St, Merriam, KS 66202 Plan to attend and help voice our concerns!*
PUBLIC FORUM
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2018 10AM - ANTIOCH LIBRARY 8700 Shawnee Mission Pkwy, Merriam, KS 66202 Plan to attend and ask questions! Find out what's actually going on with the Merriam Community Center project and pool. See what you can do to help fix this bad plan!*
CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 20187PM - CITY HALL
9001 W 62nd St, Merriam, KS 66202 City Council will be briefed on series of final votes to be taken on September 24 to approve current plan for Community Center. Public can attend but not speak. Plan to attend and show our concern by yourpresence!
*
CITY COUNCIL MEETING MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 20187PM - CITY HALL
9001 W 62nd St, Merriam, KS 66202 _This is THE KEY DATE_. Final votes are scheduled for this meeting. Plan to attend and convince the City Council to address our concerns!*
DEMOLITION OF THE MERRIAM AQUATIC CENTER STARTS MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2018 (EXACT DATES/TIMES UNKNOWN) Demolition of the Merriam Aquatic Center starts in early October if all scheduled votes are approved on September 24.IMPORTANT UPDATE
_September 9, 2018_
Please attend a public forum next SaturdaySeptember 15, 2018!
Minor concessions have been made by the City Council to increase the outdoor pool to 25 meters (vs. yards) while reducing the size of the kids' zero-depth entry 'fan'. While this is a baby step in the right direction it is not enough. Keep in mind that to get this minimal improvement, Merriam residents are having to pay an additional $1.6million.
The current outdoor aquatics design is not what voters thought theyvoted for.
This plan, while slightly better than the previous one, still leavesMerriam with:
* the smallest city outdoor pool in JOCO (now tied with Mission) * no separate dive well area* no high dive
* no outdoor slides
* lack of outdoor access to restrooms * no appropriate concessions area * poor parent-child supervision design with kids aquatics features both inside and outdoor * small child safety concerns as inside/outdoor doors open to deep end of outdoor pool (dive well) Prior to August 27, the main pool was to be replaced with a smaller 8-lane 25 yard (75'x 59') outdoor pool and a fan shaped zero depth entry area. The main pool would be 4,425 square feet in surface area and will include the diving well within that small area - thus reducing the recreational space. This is the 'compromise' size approved in a divided vote by the City Council on July 23, 2018 at _an additional over-budget cost of $1.6 million._ THE ILLUSION OF COMPROMISE Due to strong resistance by some of Merriam's City Council members and many members of the public, the main pool has been incrementally made larger in a series of small steps taken at a substantial additional cost, both in dollars and in critical project calendar time. Major design direction was set by staff as early as March but not shared with the design review committee set up for that purpose until monthslater.
The staff team's work on the aquatics design was first revealed on July 9th after word leaked on June 21 to the public of the tiny pool favored by the internal staff team. After a number of residents showed up to the June 25, 2018 City Council meeting to complain about an aquatics design that neither the City Council or the Community Center Design Committee had yet seen or heard about, staff scheduled an 'emergency meeting' of the Design Committee to present three substantially similar 'design options' to both bodies. The July 9th on-budget 'recommended design' (6-lane 25 yard, 75'x 51') was met with a cool reception in the Community Center Design Committee and a hostile reaction in the City Council meeting. On July 23rd after a strong push by staff to get a decision, the City Council voted to add $1.6 million to increase the pool design size to 8 lanes from 6, and to increase the size of the zero-depth entry fan (kids' area) This is the current design formally approved for the outdoor pool at present. On August 27th during a City Council Work Session which cannot make a formal vote, the Mayor directed the city staff to increase the main pool length to 25 meters rather than the 25 yard previous design length, while reducing the size of the kids' zero-depth entry 'fan' bya similar amount.
All these 'compromises,' coming at a high cost do not address the fundamental design flaws with the overall project that have got our community to this difficult place: * There was not enough money in the budget to build the more costly current horseshoe building design. * Since inflation adjustments to Master Plan cost estimates were inexplicably not factored into the financing package, the whole project started off already $2 million in the hole. * An added entry courtyard makes the building wider east to west, squeezing the outdoor aquatics site space, thus limiting more economical design options from consideration. * There is no independent design/construction expertise on the internal staff 'project team' to question/counter costly design options presented by the design-build partner firms who profit as the project cost goes up. * Despite throwing more money at the aquatics design problem Merriam still has a poor design (see earlier list of flaws) and will still have the smallest outdoor municipal pool in Johnson County. In our original posting of "Our Concerns " we have made some serious and troubling charges about how this design of our new community center has been conducted and how the money in the 2017 Merriam Park and Recreation Facility Master Planthat was
supposed to guide the design has been re-allocated to different areas of the overall project by staff. Our Mayor has tried to discredit our message with charges that our information is false. It is not. Our group of concerned citizens includes several members of City boards and committees and our information has been developed by us and confirmed by some members of the City Council and our own extensive efforts at 'fact-checking.' MAYOR AND STAFF ATTEMPTS AT SPINNING THE NARRATIVE It has been very concerning to watch the City's most recent spin efforts to news organizations and on social media designed to control the narrative about the problems with the community center project. It has apparently been important enough to control the messaging that they have worked to erase the record of the past six weeks of minor but hard fought pool size increases. Rather, the Mayor's narrative seems to be that Merriam Concerned Citizens are just a bunch of 'swim team' people wanting a 50 meter pool. Despite a different reality, the City apparently now wants the public to believe that an 8-lane 25 meter outdoor pool was always partof the plan.
The fact is, the 25 meter length rather than 25 yard length was only agreed to by the Mayor well after the end of the regular August 27th City Council meeting attended by a news crew from Fox4. After airing a correctly-reported story citing resident concerns about the 25 yard length pool not being suitable for competitive swim meets, the Merriam Communications Manager quickly contacted Fox4 to have them change the 25 yards to 25 meters in their online content even though the 25 yard design was in effect during the City Council meeting and only was changed after the meeting. The change has not yet even been formallyapproved.
The on-camera Fox4 report also quoted the Mayor and some members of the City Council expressing their frustration with the fact that he/they had wished that these resident opponents had stepped up to express their concerns "2 years ago" when, according the incorrect Fox4 report, the new community center was voted on. A transcript of the broadcast video segment shows on-camera Fox4 reporter Dave D'Markoopening his report
with:
"The vote on the new 30 million dollar community center was actually two years ago and passed pretty easily, so some on the Council and the Mayor seemed a little surprised to be having all of this resistance this late in the game." Actually as the most Merriam residents know, the Special Election to fund the new community center and aquatics center was held on September 15, 2017, less than a year ago. The design that so upset the residents was first revealed only in July. The unacceptable outdoor pool design that was produced by the staff's efforts is why there is'resistance.'
Where did this reporter get the bad information that was the basis for the Mayor's entire point and the leading message of the reporting? That very same evening, the City's communications team apparently scrubbed the City's web site references to a "25 yard" pool length and links to information designed to bolster the earlier 25 yard design decision. These efforts are clearly an attempt to make the broader public think there is really no cause for alarm concerning the public outcry over the aquatics design decisions previously made by staff ("Nothing to see, nothing to see," etc.) While these latest attempts at perception management are relatively small actions that normally wouldn't warrant the last few paragraphs included here, the real problem is that our research shows a similar but much more serious problem with the 'facts' concerning this community center project going back at least several years. There is actually a lot to see. Merriam residents need to hear aboutit too.
Making a $36.6 million (and growing) investment without accurate information and a competent design process is a recipe for a very long term problem. Despite these high-priced but minor recent pool size changes, there is still a major problem with the Community Center design process and the conduct of city officials. PUBLIC FORUM SCHEDULED To sort this all out Merriam Concerned Citizens are holding a Public Forum on Saturday, September 15, 2018 at 10 AM at the meeting room at the Antioch Library. Since we will have to live with the City's current decisions for decades to come, we believe that such major decisions should be based on facts and an appropriate decision-making process appropriate for making a (now) $36.6 million publicinvestment.
City Council members will be invited to discuss the issues surrounding the new Community Center project in an environment where the discussion is not limited by the Mayor's control of the Council meetings, staff's control of the PowerPoint presentations, or the Council procedural rules prohibiting individual Council Members from speaking in response to the citizen comments made in the Public Comments portions of Council meetings. Currently only the Mayor is allowed to speak for the Governing Body during those times. Since City staff is moving quickly to begin demolition of the current Merriam Aquatic Center in early October, we believe that it is imperative to take action now that leads to a proper review of the design work done so far, the project budget issues, and any other possible alternatives that could be considered to avoid making a huge mistake recklessly moving forward knowing so many issues remainunanswered.
One thing that should immediately be paused is the plan to demolish the existing Merriam Aquatics Center (MAC) until a suitable replacement plan is found. Our research shows that the data presented to the public on the condition and cost to renovate the facility was overstated by almost 500%. Less than $1 million in estimated renovation costs were inexplicably inflated to $4.4 million in the City's public information. With a likely minimum $10 million replacement cost for a similar outdoor facility, we need to think carefully before demolishing this community asset. It is likely that there is not enough money available to build all the things in the Facilities Master Plan promised residents and in the staff-directed design that occurred during the first half of 2018. These problems need to be reconciled. It is premature to demolish the substantial value existing in the Merriam Aquatic Center before properly exploring if the City can adequately replace it with a suitable outdoor summer pool experience that we have enjoyed for so long in Merriam. Please join us for a fact-based discussion of what we know and what we still need to find out about the new Community Center design and process. Based on what is discussed, we intend to proceed with action steps that will be shared with the Mayor and City Council. Our intent is to work constructively with City officials to solve a manageable problem if they are willing.OUR CONCERNS
_August 17, 2018_
The Merriam Aquatics Center (MAC) is scheduled to close forever afterAugust 5th, 2018.
ARE YOU AWARE THAT OUR OUTDOOR POOL WILL NOT BE REPLACED WITH ANYTHING REMOTELY CLOSE TO WHAT WE HAVE NOW? After rejecting a tiny initial staff designed outdoor pool, the Merriam City Council on July 23rd tentatively approved the site plan for a slightly larger outdoor pool at an additional cost of $1.6 million above the original project budget. Merriam residents will still be getting only a small fraction of the outdoor summer pool experience that we have enjoyed for decades. As of July 23, the main pool was to be replaced with an 8-lane 25 yard (75'x 59') outdoor pool and a fan shaped zero depth entry area. The main pool would be 4,425 square feet in surface area and will include the diving well within that small area. This is the 'compromise' size approved in a divided vote by the City Council on July 23, 2018 at an additional cost of $1.6 million. Even under the most optimistic configuration of the new pool space (designated by the pink lines), current pool patrons on a busy day will not be able to realistically fit in the recreational area of the pool. With an absolutely minimal roped off dive area (between two back lines), the area for swimming will be too small to provide an acceptable recreational swimming experience to patrons on a busy day. (Click image to enlarge in new tab) By contrast, the area of the current main pool is 10,852 sq ft. The original 'staff recommendation' first presented to anyone beyond the city staff project team on July 9, was for a 6-lane 25 yard (75'x 48') outdoor pool (3,600 sq ft.) with a smaller zero-depth entry fan. Mission Kansas currently has the smallest municipal outdoor pool in Johnson County. Mission's 25 meter 8-lane pool compared to Merriam's proposed 'on-budget' 25 yard 6-lane pool design. (Click image toenlarge in new tab)
The original staff 'on-budget' recommendation was for an outdoor pool that is 1/3 the size of our current pool. In addition, the 25 _yard_ length of both designs would be smaller than the usual 25 meter or 50 meter lengths used in competitive swim meets, making the new Merriam pool _unlikely to be used_ for swimming league meets. The zero-depth fan feature included in the 'on-budget' recommendation is about half the size of the current kids' wading pool. The indoor pool area for kids play is about 1/3 of the current outdoor kids'pool.
After rejecting a tiny initial staff designed outdoor pool, the Merriam City Council on July 23rd tentatively approved the site plan for a slightly larger outdoor pool at an additional cost of $1.6 million above the original project budget. Merriam residents will still be getting only a small fraction of the outdoor summer pool experience that we have enjoyed for decades. Both the 'on-budget' and the $1.6 million 'compromise' upgrade designs eliminate the outdoor slides and the high dive that are popular features used by kids at the current Merriam Aquatic Center. Smaller indoor slides will be included in the indoor pool design however. The current zero-depth entry kids pool shown here is about twice as big as the zero-depth entry area envisioned by the 'on-budget'recommended design.
HOW WILL THE PROPOSED DESIGNS FOR THE 'NEW' MERRIAM OUTDOOR AQUATICS COMPARE WITH OTHER JOHNSON COUNTY CITIES? No other NE Johnson County municipality with a public outdoor pool has a 25 yard length pool as their main outdoor pool. Mission, Fairway, and Roeland Park each have 25 meter pools. Shawnee, Prairie Village, Lenexa, Leawood, Olathe, and Overland Park all have at least one 50 meter outdoor pool like Merriam currently does. Mission Kansas currently has the smallest municipal outdoor pool in Johnson County. Mission's 25 meter 8-lane pool compared to Merriam's proposed $1.6 million 'over-budget' 25 yard 8-lane pool design. (Click image to enlarge in new tab) No other NE Johnson County municipality (except Mission) with a public outdoor pool smaller than a 50 meter length has an integrated diving well taking up valuable recreational space within their smaller pool design. The size of the Mission outdoor pool is widely criticized as being too small by patrons who come to our pool from Mission. All other communities have pools with separate diving wells. At a 25 meter length, even the inadequate Mission pool is still longer than the proposed Merriam designs. Both designs proposed by Merriam staff have an integrated diving well which operationally removes as much as 1/4 of the pool area from recreational swimming use. The latest 'compromise' design still features a 25 yard length outdoor pool that is still only about 40% of the size of the current main pool at the Merriam Aquatics Center. The zero-depth fan feature is roughly the size of the current wading pool. At the request of council members during a meeting on July 16, the cost for a design option to take the diving well out of the main pool area and provide a separate dive well was estimated on July 20 to cost between $0.9 and $1.4 million additional dollars on top of the $1.6 million 'compromise' design. The City Council did not select that option during their July 23rd meeting and instead selected the 'compromise' solution due to the further increased cost. Even with the additional $1.6 million added by the City Council for the 'compromise' option, Merriam will go from having one of the premier outdoor aquatics facilities in Johnson County to literally _the smallest_ municipal outdoor pool facility in the area. WHAT ABOUT THE $30 MILLION NEW COMMUNITY CENTER BUDGET THAT VOTERSAPPROVED?
The demolition of the Merriam Aquatic Center is part of a plan passed by voters in September 2017 to invest $30 million in a new community center featuring both indoor and outdoor aquatics components as documented in the January 2017 Merriam Parks and Recreation FacilitiesMaster Plan
.
Section 7-3 of the Master Plan shows an overview of the budget associated with the combined "Community Center with Indoor and Outdoor Aquatics" concept design offered to the public. Includes $4.4 million for "Outdoor Aquatics Center" and $17 million for "Community Center and Indoor Aquatics" with $5.6 million of that amount allocated for the indoor aquatics portion.(Click image to enlarge in new tab) About 1/3 ($10 million) of that total was projected to be used to provide new outdoor and indoor aquatics components of the new community center. In the secret project design planning by city staff, the $10 million allocated in the Master Plan budget for aquatics was reduced to $4.4 million without notifying the City Council. WHERE DID THE OTHER $5.6 MILLION GO? Based on disclosures by staff in response to questioning by a City Council member, $2 million more money is needed to adjust for construction inflation between the Master Plan's project estimates which were based on an assumed midpoint of construction during the summer of 2018, to the current estimated midpoint in 2019. This 'unexpected' adjustment was supposedly needed after the resident vote in September 2017 and after the project started despite a clear disclaimer at the top of the page from the Master Plan's consultant warning readers to make sure and adjust the budget numbers for inflation if the schedule for construction is not halfway completed by the summer of 2018 (now). Shouldn't staff have adjusted the budget and secured enough financing to actually build what we were promised? Even this number provided by Merriam staff does not make sense. Cited as a 5% per year construction cost adjustment, this inflation number would be $1.28 million rather than the $2 million number reported by staff if calculated correctly for a one year period. If the inflation adjustment is for 18 months, the new cost number would be an additional $1.9 million. The cost inflation factor does not include any adjustment for the current steel price uncertainty. Despite the fact that the new community center funding question was not put before the voters until September 2017, nobody went back and saw the need to adjust costs for inflation before putting the matterbefore the voters.
More importantly, the cost overrun was not disclosed to the City Council or public before the city sold bonds to fund the project earlier this spring. As a matter of fact, the cost overrun was not disclosed until specific inquiries by a city council member during the third week of July 2018. Competent project management professionals should have adjusted the cost figures to correct for this error muchsooner.
Included in the late July disclosure was an additional $900,000 cost increase in site excavation costs discovered based on site coring performed during the summer of 2018. So, citizens may now have an idea where $2.2 - $2.9 million of the missing aquatics budget has gone if the staff disclosures are to be believed. What about the other $2.7 - $3.4 million? Where did it go? WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THE ANTIOCH LIBRARY AND HOW DOES THAT AFFECT THE MERRIAM COMMUNITY CENTER PROJECT? Since the September vote, an idea to co-locate the Antioch library on the Merriam Community Center campus was proposed by city staff and City Council member Nancy Hupp, who also serves as Chair of the Johnson County Library Board. This idea was proposed and accepted by the Merriam City Council before the reduced design/funding deficit for outdoor aquatics was disclosed to the City Council. As part of this initiative, the city will transfer land on the Merriam Community Center campus (Vavra Park) to Johnson County. The co-location plan also has resulted in an increased need for parking. A plan for the city to spend an additional $5 million on a new parking structure is in the process of being approved by the City Council. IN SUMMARY, WHERE DO WE STAND TODAY? At the present moment, nothing is set in stone. Based on the preliminary votes taken by the City Council as of July 23, 2018, the City of Merriam is planning to spend $36.6 million on the community center campus when less than a year ago a price tag of $30 million was presented to voters. That's already a 22% increase... and the citizens of Merriam will still be getting a 60% reduced outdoor summer aquatics experience. What's going on??? We believe that based on these developments (and some other troubling ones not yet publicly listed here), a concerned group of residents has formed to demand answers from the City of Merriam. One option to consider is to halt the demolition of the existing community asset that is represented by the current Merriam Aquatic Center, and perform a project audit to see where the deviation from the plan voters approved last September occurred. A small delay now is worth avoiding a $36.6 million mistake! The design process has clearly been significantly flawed since the September vote. The good news is that the design exists only in the virtual space at this point. With design costs already spent likely in the low 6 figures range, a temporary step-back – even if it results in $200K of re-design costs – is the prudent thing to do. IF YOU COULD SAVE THE MERRIAM OUTDOOR AQUATICS EXPERIENCE WOULD YOUTRY?
WHAT IF THERE STILL MIGHT BE TIME? WHAT IF YOU COULD TRY? Sign up below to find out what is going on and participate in theconversation.
Or email us at mmc@MeriamConcernedCitizens.com. We will keep you informed on developments as we demand more information from city leaders trusted with managing our tax dollars. Learn why we are passionately working and investing our own time into saving the Merriam Community Center project. If you feel the same way and it upsets you to know this pool will be closed and torn down, before accounting for the nearly 60% reduction in Merriam aquatics project budget compared to the master plan that we voted for, this is the TIME for YOU to say something. We can come together on this and rise up one concerned citizen at a time. There are legitimate concerns that the people of this community need to haveaddressed.
IT’S NOT TOO LATE! THE POOL IS CLOSING FOR THE SUMMER --BUT-THEY HAVEN’T STARTED DEMOYET.
Help us as a community raise our voices as one, and fight to keep a beautiful outdoor pool where families, swim teams, and people of all ages can continue to be welcomed for many years to come, while still gaining the benefits of an investment in a new community center that delivers on the Master Plan.MCC
MERRIAM CONCERNED CITIZENS 2018THE DATA
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FIND YOUR WARD/CITY COUNCIL REPContact Info
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MERRIAM POOL FACILITIES (MAC)As it is now...
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NEW OUTDOOR POOL DESIGN Current $1.6 million over-budget design__
OUTDOOR POOL FROM MASTER PLAN What we voted for...ABOUT
ABOUT OUR GROUP
We are a group of concerned Merriam residents and patrons of the Merriam Aquatics Center and the Irene B. French Community Center. This group was formed in July 2018 upon the release of city designs for the new Merriam Community Center's aquatics facilities. The reason for the formation of our group is that the design proposed does not, in our opinion, reflect the promises made to voters during the September 2017 special election authorizing the financing of the new center as envisioned by the 2017 Merriam Parks & Recreation Facility Master Plan. Moreover, as we asked questions about the process and data supporting the design decisions, we received answers that reflected deception and misinformation. The more we looked, the more bad information we found. That is why we are concerned.PETITIONS
PETITION SUMMARIES
PETITION 1: LIBRARY RELOCATION APPROVAL This petition would give Merriam residents a chance to vote on whether or not the Antioch library relocation to the community center campus is something the citizens of Merriam want. This petition would require a public vote to approve the transfer of the land underlying the site location to Johnson County. The library can only be built on land owned by Johnson County, requiring a transfer of ownership for the library project to proceed. Petition 1 can be read HERE Petition 1 can be viewed here PETITION 2: DESIGN REVIEW This petition would require a pause so that a competent design review can be done by Merriam residents who have professorial backgrounds that are relevant to such a construction project. We would then give these professionals access to the design resources and allow them to consider design alternatives that do not appear to have been considered under the city staff’s management. The petition provides a mechanism for the selection and funding fortheir work.
The petition would also require the construction process to pause until this review has been completed. Petition 2 can be read HERE Petition 2 can be viewed here PETITION 3: LIMIT ON TIF FUNDS USAGE This petition would require approval by Merriam voters when the city decides to spend more than $ 1 million in TIF money on any singleproject.
Petition 3 can be read HERE Petition 3 can be viewed here If you would like to sign one or more of these petition, or if you would like to help circulate these petitions, please send a messaghe through our Contact Form.CONTACT US
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MERRIAM CITY WARD MAPScott Diebold
,
Ward 1
913-293-8457
Term: 2018-2022
Robert Weems
,
Ward 1
913-209-4105
Term: 2015-2019
Al Frisby
,
Ward 2
913-206-5354
Term: 2015-2019
Brian Knaff
,
Ward 2
913-362-9496
Term: 2018-2022
Christine Evans Hands,
Ward 3
913-384-5340
Term: 2018-2022
Nancy Hupp
,
Ward 3
913-831-4471
Term: 2015-2019
David Neal
,
Ward 4
913-219-8203
Term: 2018-2022
Bob Pape
,
Ward 4
913-384-0746
Term: 2015-2019
Click on your City Council Member to E-mail them!__ Close
BE HEARD
Make sure your representatives know how you feel. Speak Up! .__ Close
EXISTING MERRIAM AQUATICS CENTER IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE BETTER FACILITIES IN NE JOHNSON COUNTY Patrons have loved the family-friendly design The existing Merriam Aquatics Center is considered one of the better facilities in Northeast Johnson County. With an upraised children's pool that overlooks the main pool, parents can simultaneously watch their younger kids in the kiddie pool and their older kids in the main pool and water slides. The size and layout draw patrons to the Merriam Aquatic Center from surrounding communities, even from across the state line in Missouri.__ Close
2017 MASTER PLAN'S CONCEPTUAL SITE PLAN FOR NEW MERRIAM COMMUNITYCENTER
Staff has ignored the guidance from this plan The 2017 Master Plan's conceptual site plan for new Merriam Community Center featured both an indoor aquatics and a multi-basin outdoor aquatics program that was budgeted to use about $10 million of the $30 million project budget. Aquatics financially represented about 1/3 of the original project scope. The current total aquatics budget as revised by city staff without input or direction from elected officials to $4.4 million. Whereas the project budget was envisioned to be 1/3 of the total in the plan we voted on, staff unilaterally de-emphasized aquatics, cutting the budget by more than half. Even with the additional $1.6 million added back in by the City Council, the current plan allocates only about 1/6th of the community center campus budget to aquatics. Moreover, of the much smaller aquatics budget, most is being spent on the indoor portion at the expense of the outdoor summer pool experience. This is likely due to staff bias at the top against the outdoor swim experience. Multiple reports of citizen conversations with senior city staff indicate a long pattern of senior staff dislike of outdoor aquatics, particularly the 'headaches' with staffing and the fact that outdoor aquatics cannot be made 'profitable.'__ Close
OUTDOOR POOL DESIGN AS APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS NOTHING LIKEWHAT WE HAVE
Will have only 1/4 the recreation area size and is missing keyfeatures
The main pool will be replaced with an 8-lane 25 yard (75'x 59') outdoor pool and a fan shaped zero depth entry area. The main pool will be 4,425 square feet in surface area and will include the diving well within that small area. This is the 'compromise' size approved in a divided vote by the City Council on July 23, 2018 at an additional cost of $1.6 million. In comparison, the current 8-lane 50 meter/ 25 meter Merriam Aquatic Center main pool is 10,852 square feet in surface area and has a diving well with (2) 1 meter diving boards and a 3 meter board, beloved by kids. There is also a (2) water slide plunge pool outdoors as well. The current separate zero-depth entry kids pool will be replaced with a zero-depth entry fan with a 'Shamu' shelf. This new kids' area will likely have a smaller area available for smallchildren to play.
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