The city of Belgrade has pushed the needle on the proposed Belgrade Aquatic Center by agreeing to support a “bond referendum proposal” if the nonprofit group spearheading the project can first raise approximately $2.5 million in private donations.
The city council voted unanimously Monday to sponsor a bond issue for construction of the facility if the nonprofit Belgrade Aquatic Center can first raise the private funds, estimated to be about 10 percent of the project’s final cost.
The fund-raising process would be similar to that undertaken by the Belgrade Community Library Foundation, which raised more than $2 million in private donations before voters last fall approved a $14.1 million bond issue to finance the remaining cost of building a new library and community center. The Belgrade Aquatic Center has hired the same consulting firm, Bannack Group, LLC, that worked on fund-raising for the library foundation.
“We are now contacting donors for our startup campaign,” said board of trustees President Jessi McCloud.
In an e-mail to the Belgrade News on Tuesday, City Manager Neil Cardwell said, “We are very excited to see this progress move forward and the full support of the council is behind this. We have a lot of work to look at the operational costs to a project as this and determine how to fund both in the long and short term.”
This proposal for a three-pool complex, suggested to be located at Menicucci Park, includes an ADA-compliant therapy pool, multiple practice lanes, and a warm water area for all ages.
Belgrade Aquatic Center said its first priority is to provide a venue for high school and club swimmers to practice. As the Belgrade News reported last week, Belgrade High School’s newly formed swim team has no place to practice after the Bozeman Swim Center’s abrupt closure last month.
“These are things that would not only benefit Belgrade, but Three Forks and Manhattan,” McCloud stated while presenting the design of the building to the council.
McCloud said Belgrade Aquatic Center would like the bond issue to go to voters by May 2023.
“We do have two overall phases that we would like to pursue but it comes down to private donors taking some burden off of the taxpayers,” McCloud said.
She said Phase I of the Belgrade Aquatic Center’s plan includes a startup campaign, during which donors will be asked for help paying for fund-raising and design consultants and finding an architect. Phase II will involve raising the private donations necessary for the city to sponsor the bond issue.
In addition to hiring Bannack Group to help with the fund-raising, Belgrade Aquatic Center has hired Counsilman-Hunsaker to help with pool design.
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