Swimming training laps. How many swimmers in how many lanes? That's an area which seems to be generating a lot of questions about Christiansburg's new aquatic facility these days, and whether and when the competition pool (as well as the therapeutic and leisure pools) will be available to town residents or reserved for the "exclusive" use of Virginia Tech's Swim & Dive teams.
Given how long this project has been under development (12 years), construction delays (3 years), and noting the town manager's personal experience as a competitive swimmer during his own college days, there has been ample means to school the public in some of these finer details, setting expectations. Doing so could have circumvented many concerns from ever surfacing.
At Tuesday's Town Council meeting, many residents expressed concern about a 20 year lease with VT now extending to 25 years. The Town Manager stated he had negotiated for 25 years of payments to be paid in 20 years, with the last 5 years being provided up front. "The original agreement ... came down to $200,000 for 25 years," Terpenny said.
This comment represents another type of laps...a memory lapse, perhaps? According to a HokieSport.com article published August 15, 2005, "A 20-year lease agreement with the Athletics Department (and Christiansburg) has made it possible to increase the main pool from 25 yards to 50 meters."
The increased size was one reason given for construction delays, but doesn't explain them all. The town has a track record for not wanting to establish deadlines but still missing targeted completion dates.
Until council's final meeting of 2008 this agreement was only heard about and not defined in any way via an actual contract. It took nearly 40 months to develop the draft council was provided, enough time perhaps for memory to get fuzzy or details detailed.
Previously, the Mayor reestablished a fund raising group to solicit donations for the facility, but no reports on who has purchased advertising at the facility have been made public yet. The Mayor recently appointed an Aquatic Advisory Board but has not allowed this group to organize or meet yet. This past Tuesday, the Mayor appointed an ad-hoc committee, comprised of council members Ernie Wade and Jim VanHoozier, to work out any finer details of the contract with the town manager by Jan. 20.
A huge public investment has been made in this facility, and it offers much potential enjoyment for town residents and swim groups. It may also prove to contribute to the town's tax base through events that give a boost to the local economy. Associated debt and future operational expenses are now sunk costs for town residents, so any income the facility can generate is needed to offset the facility becoming a drain on town taxes.
The lack of information -- details such as a business plan giving council some scope, and marketing campaigns which could have been geared toward educating town residents or booking future special events -- should be separate discussions from whether this facility can be a success or not.