Waverly City Council to vote on new aquatic center bid next Tuesday

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Since 1973, Waverly has had the same swimming pool. The pool is currently chipping, some water sources are being held together by duct tape and the baby pool overflows at times.

According to survey that the city submitted to residents, over 600 people agreed that a new pool was needed.

“I think with that overwhelming support,” President of Greater Waverly Area Foundation Fund Abbey Pascoe said, “with that bond initiative in the sales tax increase, the community has said is spoken various times that this is something that is wanted and needed for our growing young community.”

Improvements were intended to start in 2020, when voters approved a $3.5 million dollar bond issue and a half cent sales tax increase to pay for an updated aquatic center.

Now after the pandemic, the city falls short of where bids were two years ago.

Current bids are now around $6.5 million. The city has about $4.6 million for the project.

“We have been avidly searching for donations, fundraising, and any kind of community contributions,” Pascoe said. “We’ve had several amazing community sponsors and partners to stand up and help us out with this, but most recently, the Lancaster County Commissioners have voted to provide the project $250,000 in federal funds to get us closer to the realization of opening this new Aquatic Center.”

The proposed new facility would allow for a higher capacity and a broader demographic to use the pool.

“With the ADA compliance of the new aquatic center, the zero-entry for people that need that and very small children,” Pascoe said. “We will also have a current channel that will allow people to that are going through rehabs — knee rehab, hip rehab, anything like that — or just cardiovascular exercise, being able to walk that current channel and give them the ability to have something right here in Waverly is fantastic.”

In order to get more funding for the project, local events will take place throughout the summer. The next event will be Waverly’s first annual disc golf tournament on August 20.