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Payson residents debate Malibu pool vs. Taylor renovation as town readies bond pamphlet
Summary
Residents at the Sept. 24 Payson council meeting divided over a November bond that would fund a new pool at the Malibu site versus renovating Taylor Pool, prompting calls for clearer cost comparisons and a town information pamphlet due Sept. 30.
Residents and business owners pressed the Payson Common Council on Sept. 24 to support or oppose a November bond election that would fund construction of a new public pool at the Malibu site or alternatively pursue renovation of the existing Taylor Pool.
Several speakers urged council to let voters decide and thanked the council for placing the proposed bond on the ballot. Paul Fromell, who said he has lived in Payson nearly 12 years, told council he appreciated being given “a choice to vote” and said he believed refurbishing Taylor Pool could be a better fit geographically but that the smaller $16 million bond gave voters a voice that last year’s larger proposal did not.
Lori Permenter, who identified herself as a two-year resident, urged residents to vote yes for the bond and told council that the town’s consultant and cost estimates show Taylor Pool renovation would likely rely on the general fund and that prior estimates to rehabilitate Taylor could be substantially higher than some public estimates. Permenter cited a prior council study that estimated an uncovered Taylor renovation at $11 million and said a covered Taylor pool could approach roughly $14.2 million, while the Malibu plan staff presented as a 40% design estimate was summarized to council as $12.4 million excluding a cover and $16 million with a cover.
Other residents urged delay or more public outreach. A number of speakers who said they represented or supported the Taylor Pool renovation noted polls and local sentiment favoring renovation in some quarters. Several commenters said a no vote on the Malibu bond would not automatically guarantee Taylor Pool would be rebuilt, and noted that Taylor’s renovation would likely require a bond and substantial additional work if pursued.
Town staff said the September 24 presentation was based on 40% design plans and that final costs could change. The town manager told the council that staff will publish an informational pamphlet and a website tab (“Ask City Hall”) on Sept. 30 with updated figures and revenue projections, operating cost estimates and assumptions used in the fiscal analysis. The manager also advised that operating revenue and expenses depend on rate decisions (for example, whether certain age groups are permitted free entry) and that a first-year operating loss projection was in the neighborhood of $309,000 under the assumptions discussed.
What residents asked for: more time to review the proposed code changes and bond details (several said they had just learned of technical details), more transparent outreach, and clearer comparisons of renovation versus new-build scenarios. Town staff said outreach materials and a pamphlet would be issued before the election to provide the public with costs and assumptions.
No formal council action on the bond itself occurred at the Sept. 24 meeting; the council’s immediate actions at the meeting included approving unrelated consent items, voting on the Payson Golf Club development agreement and acting on the wildfire hardening ordinance.
