Redmond voters will have the chance to fund a recreation complex that will include multiple swimming pools, a bouldering wall, sports fields, fitness center and more.

A $49 million bond to construct the facility, planned for the area of SW 35th Street and Lava Avenue, will be presented to voters in November by the Redmond Area Parks and Recreation District. A separate ballot question will also ask voters to fund a 5-year levy to help fund the center’s operations.

The proposed 74,500-square-foot facility would include a new 25-meter indoor lap pool, another indoor pool with waterslides and lazy river, bouldering wall, fitness center that includes weight room and an elevated track, hiking and biking trails, community rooms, recreation fields for youth soccer as well as tennis and pickleball courts.

There would also be a child watch room so parents or guardians could drop their kids off before working out or attending classes.

Employees of the recreation district said it’s high time to improve facilities in fast-growing Redmond.

“As our community has grown, recreation needs have changed in our community,” said Katie Hammer, executive director of Redmond Area Parks and Recreation District (RAPRD). “There’s such a strain currently on (the Cascade Swim Center). It’s been insane the last year how busy our lap lanes are.”

The swim center was built in 1979, when Redmond’s population was just 6,500 people. Today, the park district serves roughly 45,000 people in Redmond, Terrebonne, parts of Crooked River Ranch, Eagle Crest and parts of Tumalo.

The location of the proposed facility was chosen to be centrally located for RAPRD and is roughly 10-20 minutes from the edges of the district. From Crooked River Ranch, the furthest population center, it would be an approximately 20-minute drive. Eagle Crest and Tumalo are roughly 14 minutes away.

The facility would be built on land already purchased by RAPRD in 2009 while the annexation would link the building to city utilities and connections.

According to Matt Gilman, the chairman of the RAPRD Board of Directors, the current rec center was not designed to serve the number of residents now clamoring for its services. Swim lessons are at capacity — and a long waitlist means many residents miss out.

RAPRD is severely lacking in pool space, gym space, soccer fields, pickleball courts, workout areas and fitness classes, Gilman said.

In the past, RAPRD was able to use the activity center at Odem Medo and Canal to offer activities such as Zumba, basketball, yoga, racquetball and weightlifting. In 2020, however, the center was forced to close after the city of Redmond decided to demolish it to move a road through the property.

Currently, RAPRD is running these programs in “tiny rooms” at the Redmond Senior Center, according to Gilman, where the max class size is just 10 participants.

“The thirst for programming and more activities is obvious from the community,” he said. “People want these things.”

The average assessed value of property in the district is $211,938 for the current fiscal year. That would mean the average property owner would pay about $126 per year if the bond passes. The levy, meanwhile, would cost the average property owner an additional $60 per year over its five-year duration. Assessed values in the area are expected to rise by about 3 percent per year.

While RAPRD recognizes this is a large ask for taxpayers, it’s what they found the community wanted during their months-long public outreach program. Much of the feedback they received was “to build something that was usable for our community for the next 20 years,” Hammer said.

The $49 million price tag will fulfill this wish.

“We have a real plan in place,” Gilman said, “of what people actually want.”

Recreation district residents would receive a 30% discount on facility use, classes and more. There will also be options for punch cards as well as monthly and annual passes for repeat visitors.

City councilor Clifford Evelyn noted that it’s important to have a safe place for local youth to play and have fun — especially in the dark winter months. Currently, he said, if you have a child between the ages of 11 and 17, there’s not much for them to do in Redmond.

“I think it’s important,” Evelyn said Tuesday night. “The time is now. I don’t know why it took this long to even have an athletic center, but now the time is here so let’s try to do the best we can to move this forward.”

Councilor Krisanna Clark-Endicott said the facility could bring outside dollars and knock-on investment to Redmond.

“It’s something that can be quite lucrative in bringing people to our area,” she said.

After failing to pass in 2008 and 2019, this will be the third time a bond has been proposed to expand recreational offerings in the district. The first two failed to convince a majority of voters. In 2019 a $40 million bond and levy garnered roughly 45 percent of the vote.

Gilman said that the district has learned from past defeats. The last time a facility went to voters, they did not have a location picked out or produced renderings for the public. This time, Gilman said they are more prepared and have done extensive community outreach.

“This year we’re doing things different,” said Gilman.

And, members of the city council are hoping these different tactics will pay off.

“Let’s hope the third time’s the charm,” said Mayor George Endicott.

Current plans call for keeping the Cascade Swim Center in operation if the bond and levy pass in November. If it passes, the bond would have a duration of 20 years.