Mountlake Terrace Rec Pavilion: A race against inflation and balancing who pays

(Photo courtesy City of Mountlake Terrace.)

During its Jan. 9 meeting, the Mountlake Terrace City Council reviewed possible funding options for replacing the city’s aging Recreation Pavilion.

“The pavilion is 56 years old and needs replacement,” Recreation and Parks Director Jeff Betz said of the beloved pavilion, which was paid for with a voter-approved $512,000 in 1964 and constructed in 1968.

Betz said that in 2009, consultants recommended replacing the facility and using a different structure due to the lack of flexibility from the design and materials used. The pool, locker rooms and weight room are all housed in a six-sided building made of concrete and steel rebar rather than a square, modular design.

During an Aug. 22 meeting, the council indicated they preferred to replace the pavilion, which Betz said the public echoed in their response to a direct question in the National Community Survey and the Recreation Park Open Space Plan.

“We had over a thousand responses that were in favor of replacing it,” Betz said regarding the pavilion. “Further engagement is definitely necessary.”

Cities marked in green or blue are still in the planning stage.

Some of the facilities Betz presented for cost comparisons are:

Shore Aquatic Center, William Shore Pool District, Port Angeles: A single-level facility totaling 30,700 square feet. The original 16,900 square footage was remodeled with a 13,800 square foot addition. The building cost was $15.5 million in 2018. With inflation, it would cost $29 million in 2027 dollars, with a cost per square foot of $882.

South Whidbey Aquatic Center, South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District: The project is a one-story, 23,700-square-foot building in the construction documentation phase. Its cost was $22.75 million in 2025, translating into $25 million, or $861 per square foot, in 2027.

Rainier Beach Community Center, City of Seattle: This 48,000-square-foot community center cost $16.55 million in 2013 and would cost $35.85 million in 2027, for $657 per square foot.

Fircrest Community Center and Bathhouse/Pool, City of Fircrest: The center has a 4,800-square-foot bathhouse and a 14,900-square-foot community center. The building cost was $12.6 million in 2020, which would be $20.4 million in 2027 dollars, with a square footage cost of $788 per foot.

Eastside Tacoma Community and Aquatic Center, Metro Parks Tacoma: This two-level, 55,000-square-foot building cost $26.5 million in 2018. By 2027, those construction costs would be $49.6 million, or $798 per square foot.

Recreation and Parks Director Jeff Betz attended the Jan. 9 meeting via Zoom.

Betz said the 2027 median costs for the different facilities “aren’t necessarily all apples to apples,” as some include senior services and others have an indoor-outdoor pool. Still, the building cost median is almost $40 million at about $880 per square foot.

Separate consultants told the city that the average site cost for construction alone was about $3.3 million, but Betz said those are only hard costs and the city must assume an additional 40% for related soft costs.

“So, we’re talking design, architectural work, construction management, construction assistance,” Betz said. “All the different costs related to it aside from construction itself.”

This image shows what a possible levy could mean for residents.

Betz presented three possible funding solutions for the new structure, some of which included sharing costs with neighboring cities.

Property tax:

– Voters would need to approve more than 1% annual property tax increases by a simple majority of 50% plus 1.

– Levies can be for a permanent or fixed period.

– They can fund capital, operations or maintenance costs.

– Levies can be used to purchase bonds or pay for loans.

Based on Mountlake Terrace’s 2023 combined assessed value, Betz said the city was “a little under $5.3 billion.”

“So, just as a hypothetical, we use a bonded amount. If we bonded for this project of $50 million, that annual debt service would be [$3.75] million per year,” Betz said.

According to the data, a typical Mountlake Terrace home is valued at  $619,500, making the tax $440 a year—or $37 a month – per household.

This image shows the price differences between the recreation pavilion being shared between three cities and five.

Special funding districts – Metropolitan park district:

– Is a junior taxing district.

– Can levy up to $0.75 per $1,000.

– Boundaries can exceed one jurisdiction.

– The money collected can pay for capital and operations costs.

Betz explained that these special districts are formed through partnerships with participating municipalities. He gave a hypothetical collaboration between Mountlake Terrace, Edmonds and Shoreline.

With a partnership like the example given, Mountlake Terrace residents would pay a $59.07 annual property tax fee, which Betz said would be less than $5 a month per household. Further, the more cities added, the lower the costs would be.

“For a hypothetical, you added Lake Forest Park and Brier to this list … it goes down annually by about $10 a year,” Betz said.

However, he explained that there is a caveat. Serving a region rather than one community would likely require a larger facility.

A partnership with other cities would significantly reduce the costs of the recreation pavilion for Mountlake Terrace residents.

The councilmembers were most interested in a metropolitan park district option and partnerships but wanted more public feedback.

Councilmember Rick Ryan said that since most of the pavilion’s users aren’t from Mountlake Terrace, the residents should not bear all the costs.

Councilmember Laura Sonmore suggested a task force for funding, or there “might end up not having a pool in Mountlake Terrace.”

City Manager Jeff Niten said he would create a survey to determine the public’s preferences.

In other business, the council:

– The council renewed the license agreement with Snohomish County for the ballot box located at the Civic Campus for an additional five years. City Manager Jeff Niten said the box was “extremely successful and well received.”

– Reviewed the 2025-2031 Stormwater Comprehensive Plan with Stormwater Program Manager Laura Reed. Click here to see the draft plan.

– Received a presentation of the Waste Management annual report.

The Jan. 16 city council meeting has been canceled. The next council meeting will start at 7 p.m., Jan. 23, at Mountlake Terrace City Hall, 23204 58th Ave. W., Mountlake Terrace. To attend the meeting online, visit zoom.us/join and enter meeting ID 810 1113 9518; no passcode is needed.

To make a public comment remotely, complete the registration form within 24 hours of the meeting’s start.

To listen via telephone, call 1-253-215-8782 and enter the same meeting ID.

You also can view live-streamed meetings and past video recordings at www.youtube.com/cityofmlt.

The agenda can be viewed here.

– By Rick Sinnett

  1. Wasn’t this just remodeled a short while ago? There isn’t any thing wrong with the facility. It sounds more like new people in charge want new things. It’s only other people’s money. Nothing has been learned over the past 4 years.

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