SLV Aquatics seeks Monte Vista support for $24 million countywide pool, asks voters to approve new park-and-rec district

SLV Aquatics asked the Monte Vista City Council on Feb. 6 to back a revised plan to form a countywide park and recreation district that would build a $24 million aquatic center in Monte Vista and send five ballot questions to voters on Nov. 4, 2025.

My name is Jenny Earring with SLV Aquatics, the presenter said, and she walked council through changes since an earlier proposal, including expanding the district boundary to include all of Rio Grande County and cutting the mill levy ask roughly in half from the prior effort.

The nonprofit told the council the pool design has two bodies of water — a cooler six-lane lap pool with a diving well and a warmer family-recreation pool with zero-entry and a lazy-river feature — and that the total project cost is $24,000,000. Funding would come primarily from property tax mill levies: 6.5 mills for capital construction and bonding, plus 2 mills for operations, she said.

The group estimated the combined 8.5-mill ask would cost the owner of an average Monte Vista home (market value cited at $244,000) about $11.58 per month. SLV Aquatics said it expects grant and foundation…