December 13, 2022 |
The Town of Saratoga isn’t prepared to sign a lease for the Platte Valley Aquatic Center until hard numbers can be provided.
For over a year, Saratoga attorney Nick Haderlie has been working to create a large-scale, indoor, water sports facility for the town. In early November, Haderlie presented his completed design and feasibility studies to the Saratoga town council. The attorney’s plans contained two different layouts for the Platte Valley Aquatic Center, depending on how much money he was able to raise for its construction. Haderlie said he was confident he could obtain funding for at least the lower priced design costing $12.5 million. He asked the council to consider offering him a 50-year lease for town-owned land on West Elm Street, between the Saratoga Public Library and the middle/high school.
To pay the nearly $750,000 yearly operating costs of the aquatic center, the attorney suggested the town allocate its entire recreation department budget to him. The aquatic center’s board of directors would handle all non-school related sports programs for the town.
During the December 6th Saratoga Town Council meeting, concerns were expressed by council members over the proposed lease agreement Haderlie had presented to the town. Without knowing if the project would be fully funded, Councilman Jon Nelson wondered if the town was moving too fast by signing a legally binding agreement.
When Haderlie presented his aquatic center plans to the town, Councilman Ron Hutchins said he thought the operational costs contained in the design documents were too low. Haderlie said those amounts were merely estimates and more solid numbers would be provided once fund raising got under way. Councilman Hutchins said Haderlie was asking the town to sign a lease without providing that information.
The lease Haderlie presented to the town stipulated that construction had to begin within one year. If that milestone was not met, the land would revert back to the town. Councilman Nelson said, in case the attorney is unable to get the aquatic center off the ground, it might be a good idea for the town to have other ways to end their agreement.
The council members agreed Haderlie would be more successful in his fundraising if he had a guarantee for the land from the town. Councilman Hutchins said there might be a way to promise Haderlie the property without signing a lease.
The facility would be governed by a board of directors. Saratoga would have a representative on the board, the town council would have no say in how the aquatic center is run. Mayor Creed James said he wasn’t sure abolishing the town’s recreation department to provide funding to the Platte Valley Aquatic Center is the best idea.
Councilman Nelson pointed out how the day-to-day operations of the aquatic center wasn’t set in stone. The attorney was asking the town to turn over the entire rec department budget to his facility, but Nelson said there may be other ways to handle the situation.
Councilman Nelson said he enjoys seeing members of the public put forth efforts to improve the community. He said he approves of the idea for the aquatic center, but it needs more thought put into it before the town signs anything.
The council agreed the decision to sign the lease or not would need to be made by the incoming council. Mayor James said he will ask town attorney Jane France to find an alternative way to set aside the land Haderlie needed, without signing a long-term lease.
