Scaled therapy pool at Center on the Lake and parking expansion pitched as self‑supporting by insurance memberships

Maumelle officials and Center on the Lake staff presented a scaled proposal for a therapy‑focused indoor pool and adjacent parking that would serve primarily the facility’s 50‑plus membership base. Mayor Caleb Norris summarized a decade of study and task force work that rejected larger, costlier pool schemes and led to the smaller, senior‑focused design the city has placed on the ballot.

Nicole, representing Center on the Lake, said multiple task forces and consultants produced initial designs that were too large and expensive and that the current rendering reflects a deliberate scaling to what's affordable and appropriate for the center’s membership. “I figured out how we can afford it at Center on the Lake,” she said, explaining the operating plan relies on insurance‑benefit memberships: the center currently receives about $120,000 per year from those programs and believes the city can renegotiate with providers to increase that revenue if the center adds an indoor pool; staff noted comparable facilities often receive roughly double the current receipts.

Consultants and staff described the proposed pool as a therapy facility rather than a competitive swim venue: a warm, wheelchair‑accessible pool with a walk‑in entry, variable depth (shallow accessible entry to deeper area), an infinity/resistance element to allow in‑place laps and space for water aerobics and physical‑therapy use. City engineer Shawat said the pool was intended for rehabilitation and senior fitness; it is not sized or intended for youth competitive teams and the design presently anticipates no lifeguard staffing for the proposed configuration.

City staff outlined estimated operating costs and staffing: direct facility expenses (chemicals, maintenance) were budgeted roughly at $30,000 per year and utilities at about $40,000 per year; Nicole said the plan anticipates one new maintenance/operations hire plus the pool operator licensing the center director plans to obtain. The presenters acknowledged inflation and rising utility costs as risk drivers and said the center and city would periodically renegotiate insurance contracts and membership rates to align revenue with costs.

Parking to serve the center and a nearby trailhead is included in the scope; city staff said the front corner parcel under consideration is limited in size and would support parking and perhaps a very small commercial kiosk, not larger retail development. Question three will appear on the ballot and, if approved by voters, the city would move to final design and implement property and construction steps.