Focus group extends talks of indoor pool

After an initial informational meeting in May, community members gathered Tuesday night to discuss the plausibility of an indoor swimming pool facility in Maryville.

A group of more than 15 citizens met at the Maryville Community Center to discuss the next steps toward potentially making an indoor pool facility a reality.

The only indoor aquatic center in Maryville, the Robert P. Foster Aquatic Center, shut down three years ago and has now been transformed into the fully furnished Robert and Virginia Foster Fitness Center, which is scheduled to open in early September.

During Tuesday night’s meeting, Ray Courter said the creation of a fitness center is probably the better long-term outcome for Northwest Missouri State University, however, he’s still hoping that the Maryville community can come together to create an indoor pool facility.

At the open forum, Courter introduced Northwest professor Dr. Deb Toomey, whose Marketing Research Study class has volunteered to conduct a survey to gauge public interest. Toomey said the project would be assigned to one of the student marketing research groups and seniors majoring in Marketing, Business Management, Advertising or Public Relations.

The survey will be distributed electronically to a wide range of demographics. Toomey expressed a desire to make sure the survey is seen by community members as well as Northwest students and faculty.

According to Toomey’s comments Tuesday, the survey will help the focus group determine if Maryville patrons want an indoor pool. If the survey, which won’t be completed until December, comes back with positive numbers, the next step for the focus group will be to look at feasibility studies.

Nodaway County Economic Development Director Josh McKim said a feasibility study would need to be conducted, but the cost of such a study is a major concern.

According to estimates by several focus group members, the a feasibility study would cost a minimum of $25,000.

At the initial meeting in May, Maryville Parks and Recreation Director Rod Auxier talked about the feasibility of the project when it comes to the cost of a new facility.

“The construction of one is quite expensive, but the biggest thing is the annual operation,” Auxier said. “You have to subsidize a pool for $200,000 to $500,000 a year,” he said. “That is over a third of our budget and it’s not feasible for us. That is why in this group discussion we have, I still think it needs to be a partnership and I always have. It is going to take a group to make this a reality in my opinion.”

During the meeting in May, Auxier had said that without including the improvements to the current Maryville Aquatic Center, it cost $20,000 to $25,000 in annual subsidies for the 10 or 11 weeks the pool is open.

Along with discussing surveys and studies, Courter and McKim reported on discussions they have had with Maryville City Manager Greg McDanel, Kawasaki Plant Manager and Vice President Steve Bratt and SSM Health St. Francis Hospital President Mike Baumgartner.

According to McKim, McDanel has said an indoor pool facility is not currently on the city’s 10-year plan, but if there were enough interest expressed, the city would look into the possibility.

Additionally, Bratt, who said he supports the indoor pool idea, endorsed having Northwest students conduct the initial survey.

The focus group plans to meet again to decide on further action after the market survey is completed by the Northwest class.