Resident urges Visalia council to avoid "extravagant" aquatic center, cites past "fiasco"

Irene Lampen, a Visalia resident who identified herself during the public-comment period, urged the City Council to engage residents proactively about a proposed aquatic center element of the parks and recreation master plan and to avoid repeating what she called the "Larry Avenue rehab fiasco." Lampen said residents should be given priority opportunities to state preferences and that council members be present to answer questions at upcoming meetings.

"You simply must reach out to residents proactively," Lampen said. She said she learned the city's parks and rec director had told her that a firm called Pros Consulting, based in Indiana, had been involved and expressed concern that consultants and an upscale San Diego firm had made a sales pitch before any bidding process started.

Lampen warned against using an "extravagant" aquatic center as a way to honor a former councilmember, saying the idea would risk repeating prior mistakes. She said the former councilmember, identified in the transcript as Collins, had been unable to secure funding in past discussions and the plan was "permanently shelved" after exhaustive debate.

She also raised budgetary concerns for lower- and middle-income residents and questioned a comment attributed to Vice Mayor Wynne at a prior meeting that "go big or go home," saying she did not see how that aligned with city budget allocations.

The council did not take action on the public comment; the chair closed the public-comment period and moved into the consent calendar.