CITY OF URBANDALE

3600 86th Street Urbandale, IA 50322 COUNCIL LETTER #6398 515.278.3900 | Urbandale.org

Meeting: City Council - July 28, 2020 Staff Contact: Jan Herke, Director of Parks & Recreation Department: Parks & Recreation

AGENDA ITEM: Closure of the Urbandale Public Swimming Pool

RECOMMENDATION: Approve the permanent closure of the Urbandale Public Swimming Pool

CITY ATTORNEY REVIEWED: FINANCE REVIEWED: CORRESPONDS WITH: N/A Yes Council Procedure

ATTACHMENTS: Pool Survey - Question 4 Responses

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: At its June 30, 2020, meeting, the Council deferred a decision on permanently closing the Urbandale indoor swimming pool until the July 28, 2020 meeting. Council also asked staff to update the community on this recommendation and to seek public input before making its final decision.

Staff prepared a survey that was posted on the City website, social media and Nextdoor.com (neighborhood social media network.) In addition, a Des Moines Register article about the proposed pool closing and a link to the survey was included in an article posted online on July 15, 2020.

662 respondents took the online survey and a brief summary of the survey data is below.

Summary of the Survey: 1. Of the 662 respondents who took the survey, 85% were Urbandale residents. 2. 472 indicated they have used the Urbandale Pool in the past 3 years. 3. Of those 472 participants, 61% (285) indicated they had participated in open swim, 39% (182) in swim lessons, 29% (135) in lap swim and 21% (97) in water fitness classes. 4. When asked if the pool was to remain closed and a subsidy was created to lower the cost of programs, 41% (262) of respondents indicated they would more likely participate in aquatic programs offered by other community partners. Survey respondents were also provided the opportunity to share additional comments about their thoughts on the current pool or suggestions for the future of aquatics in Urbandale. 525 people shared comments, and four main themes emerged in those comments, which include: • 310 wanted the current pool to reopen, and/or prefer the current location • 115 supported closing the pool and pursuing a new aquatic facility in Urbandale • 74 agreed with the pool closing, if other options were available (City partnering with other aquatic facilities, new facility pursued, etc.) • 26 comments were considered “other” (such as fund a dog park instead, patrons doesn’t use the facility anymore, COVID safety concerns, get out of aquatics all together, comments on other park projects, etc.) After receiving the survey responses and other pool user communications regarding the closure of the swimming pool, staff’s recommendation continues to be to permanently close the Urbandale Public Swimming Pool. This recommendation was based on the following considerations: • The age of the facility and its significant ongoing operational and capital costs to operate and maintain the facility. • The 50 year 28E Lease Agreement with the Urbandale Community School District, which owns the land under the pool, ends in 2026. • A small percentage of Urbandale residents regularly participant in pool programs. • The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has closed the pool indefinitely and its negative effects would impact future programming drastically. • The Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan highlights strong resident passion for aquatic programs and securing aquatic partnership opportunities for Urbandale residents would more strategically meet that need.

Page 2 of 41 4.) Please use the space below to expand on your answers to the questions above, to share your thoughts on the current pool or your suggestions for the future of aquatics in Urbandale. This is a local community pool valued by its participants. Why Take away a community facility and outsource to other institutions for which we have no control or say in how it administered. It’s no safer doing it this way. It’s also used by the schools and senior citizens for lessons, aquatics and lap swimming. so now you’re going to bus kids to other places and make it more inconvenient for us. Why not support what we have right now? I strongly disagree with the proposal to outsource. A community without and aquatics center is an incomplete community. The safety of learning how to swim, the fitness opportunity for lap swimmers and swim teams, and the recreational opportunities for community members are far too important to pass on. After having a second child I spent more time at the Clive Aquatic Center because of the shaded zero depth area and broader hours. I could never seem to get to the Urbandale facility for open swim because of the kids' midday naps and early bedtimes. I think it makes way more sense to support nearby pools with a subsidy than to do the expensive work I hear our pool needs. I live in view of the high school but I wouldn't mind losing a pool "in my back yard" that I can't really use, especially if it makes admission to our favorite pool more affordable. Already use Clive aquatic center because of adult classes offered. Urbandale adult class list very limited as are number of participants. Already y member. Would prefer outdoor pool Although the partnership appears to have merit, consideration must include transportation. How will residents who do not drive; i.e., those without a driver's license, get to the other locations?

I am doubtful the City of Urbandale is in a position to build its own aquatic center, plus on-going maintenance...and the liability risk. It is good to see the exploration of options. An aquatic center would be great. An indoor local option is nice without the membership requirements of a YMCA. My son and I have used the pool during the winter for last 7 years. An indoor pool is a unique asset for year-round use and those with environmental challenges. An indoor pool in close proximity to the schools is a unique asset for residents in district PE programs. A traditional pool is an asset to those who prefer that environment to aquatic center. Lower pool rental fees are an asset to those celebrating. Walkable pool facilities are an asset. Location in the recreational core is an asset. Convenience to seniors is an asset. Maintenance costs do need to be dealt with. However I would prefer to see some form of infill development, in this location, or another in "old" Urbandale, in order to retain the advantages listed, not create migratory loss for eastern Urbandale residents, while supporting property values with investment - rather than anything along the lines of a another western/northern aquatic center. Perhaps explored in conjunction with Douglas improvement projects or agreements with the district on vacated elementary properties? As a homeowner and consumer, I am not interested in paying for a new pool or providing an annual subsidy. Having to travel further than 2 miles to use a pool is not desirable for me and my family. We have enjoyed having a pool so close to our home and our teenager using it for PE at UHS. I understand things have to work for all involved though. Just know that I would never support a new pool in Urbandale. As a lifelong resident and student of all the schools, it was always nice to have a community pool that isn’t franchised out. If we close the pool, will there be an option to build a city owned pool or aquatic park that includes indoor and outdoor options? As an annual member I want refunded for the unused portion of my membership As of a result of covid-19 i no longer will be using public pools

Page 3 of 41 At this point, CIA hardly gets time at Urbandale Public Pool (even though we've been a loyal customer for YEARS) so if it meant we could participate as a team at a newer facility sooner than later, I say bulldoze the pool ASAP. I also say bulldoze the pool ASAP as a concerned citizen after finding out how much the city is losing in keeping that pool open. Time for a new facility that accommodates the needs of the community SO much better!!! Been a resident and user of the Urbandale public pool for over 2 decades. The pool has given us and our club team, central Iowa aquatics, urgent pool space to use over the years the the Des Moines Metro area has Failed to supply us with on a consistent basis. During our season we are in their every single day and we deeply appreciate this pool space. The Des Moines area and Iowa as a whole had very limited pool space for swim clubs to use. Most of them put such strict limitations on them to use and are constantly rising pool rental rates that clubs sometimes struggle to afford. We understand this though as a club and the costs it takes to operate such a pool year round. In our opinion this pool though has served its purpose and done its duty to the community. It’s time for a new and better option for the Urbandale and surrounding communities. Such as a 50 meter indoor aquatic facility and program pool for lessons! Please contact us at 5157774740 for more of my insight if interested! Before I became a PE teacher and coach, I managed a pool, taught lessons and was the Harrison County Red Cross Water Safety Chairman. Learning to swim is vital for all youth. Our current pool has served our community & school youth in ensuring all learn how to enjoy and be safe around water. I see nothing that can replace our current way to serve all Urbandale youth through the school program or summer program. I believe we will eliminate lessons for many with this plan. Build a new outdoor pool. Build a new pool, maybe with a dome that could be open in the summer. A indoor outdoor pool. That way the school kids could use it as well as the public. Wouldn't want to chop the public hours to much, that is what drives the public away to hard to keep track of. There is the water park not to far away over in Clive for summer water activities for the public to use. Clive is not year around, Fish School is for littles, and YMCA are not as closely located in NW Des Moines. The Y would be my first choice from above but I like the adult programming at the pool. It suits a much larger audience. It would be very bad news for Urbandale to close. The Y is not really affordable like Urbandale. Close it, tear it down and make more parking. Aquatic centers available at clive, northwest and ankeny Close the current pool. Either build or a new one or be done with the idea and put it to bed once and for all. No more talk about it. Close the pool, use the savings to fund a dog park. Closing the indoor pool in Urbandale would be harmful to the community - especially the older residents of Urbandale who use it for water aerobics. This survey likely won't even reach many of them, because it is unlikely they own (and understand how to operate) a computer. I personally know older Urbandale residents who use the aerobics classes - and that is the only exercise and socialization they are able to access. Closing the indoor pool would be a huge mistake. Consider neighborhood pools Current pool is an amazing community asset. Affordable swimming, with warm pool temps have helped my kids become excellent swimmers. Having an indoor pool available means we can swim year-round. Wish private lessons were still offered. The Urbandale pool is a unique family activity that is healthy, safe and not replaceable by Goldfish or Natavi- lap swimming does not have same capacity for adults and kids to swim at the same time. Please keep this pool open! Daughter swim team needs this pool to help with practice. Swim team does not have a dedicated pool so having this as an option for that team is wonderful

Page 4 of 41 Dear Urbandale City Council, I graduated from Hoover in 1985. I took swimming lessons when the Urbandale pool first opened. In my childhood I played with friends at the open swim times. In my teens I competed in the pool as part of the Hoover Swimming team and club teams in the 80's. Many State Champions and Several Olympians swam and competed in the Urbandale pool and it used to hold many swimming competitions which I wish it still did but I understand in these times it doesn't. While in college I swam for Coe College and would swim in the off season occasionally doing lap swimming to keep in shape. When I had children they also would partake in open swimming at Urbandale. When I have had injuries and surgery's I have used the Urbandale pool to help me with physical therapy. In my 30's through early 50's I still do lap swimming. (I do wish the better wave reducing competion lane lines were back like they used to have.) But I and several of my friends have used and enjoyed the facility over the years. I think it is one of the best public facilities of its kind and the only public facility I have used throughout my life. I would greatly like to use it for many years to come! I find the YMCA facilities and other indoor pools just are not as useful and friendly as the environment at Urbandale. So much money is spent on outdoor pools that can only be used for 3 months and are more focused on slides and lazy rivers and I do like those as well. However, they are not as useful as an indoor pool which can be used year round for those to learn to swim, stay healthy, have fun and provide a resource for physical therapy like a good indoor pool can. I truly have enjoyed the Urbandale pool facility over the years as it is the only public resource like it in the Des Moines area. Due to Covid-19 I haven't been able to swim there in months and I greatly miss it. I truly hope the Urbandale Pool can remain open for many years to come as it is the only facility like it in the area! Sincerely, Alan Hansen Des Moines area has a shortage of low cost, year-round, quality youth recreational lap pool space. Bringing in swim team partnerships would ensure local access for Urbandale students who currently swim for Johnston High School Disappointed if the city closes before an urbandale option is voted and approved by the citizens. Do not approve of an aquatics center that would only be used in the summer months. Year round pool would serve the entire community better. I am not in agreement with partnering with the YMCA or any organization when I have to be a member of that organization in order to use the pool I paid for. Do not shut down the pool! The pool is a great asset to the community. Our family loves the indoor option in the winter for open swim and lessons. It seems to me that this issue of the pool possibly closing is trying to be slid into the agenda and passed without much public knowledge or input. It's very disappointing how this has all taken place. With years left before the contract expires, I think the pool should remain open, at least until another facility or at least a plan for a new facility is in place. The pool is still fully functional and we should continue to utilize it! Figure out the long term plan, but in the short term, keep the pool open! Don’t close the pool. Don't have enough information about subsidy to respond positively or negatively. Due to the virus being low risk in the sunlight or in chemicals like chlorine, I’d love for the outdoor pool and splash pad to reopen. The public can use their discretion should they not feel safe to do so. Otherwise, it should be open. Thank you for seeking feedback! Also - as a suggestion, most small children nap during the afternoon. It would be great for the splash area/kid shallow pool to open before early afternoon. Thanks! Easy access into pool area and pool for those with mobility issues. Tailored aerobics for older adults. Warm water. Easy parking for older persons, centrally located. Lessons during days as minimal use by Students. Swimming year round locally available to those in Old Urbandale and Johnston. For now right

Page 5 of 41 by senior center.

Easy access into pool area and pool for those with mobility issues. Tailored aerobics for older adults. Warm water. Easy parking for older persons, centrally located. Lessons during days as minimal use by Students. Swimming year round locally available to those in Old Urbandale and Johnston. For now right by senior center. For me, the Senior offerings at the Urbandale pool cannot be found elsewhere. I attended Senior lap swim 3 days a week, and Water Aerobics the other two days. Being overweight and with knee issues, the Urbandale pool gave me the opportunity be active without pain. The design of the pool allowed me to walk/swim laps. The pool temperature helped my arthritis. I was improving my strength, balance, and it was a mental boost as well. I haven't found any other indoor pool with options for Seniors. And the staff and instructors were so friendly and encouraging, I will miss my daily trip to the pool. Going to a pool in my community was important to me and my family. Great place to come lap swim or bring my family all year round. We loved coming last year with the bubble machine. Your facilities are always clean and the staff is always friendly. Have always wished Urb could have a good outside pool option. Hate to see the $ for entrance and fees go other places. I enjoy the Y, but like outdoor in summer. Having an actual swimming pool is unique to Urbandale. There is not another public pool in the region. There are many water parks available nearby, but no where a child can take swimming lessons, parents can take children to learn to swim and have free time to actually practice swimming. Lap swimming and water aerobics are important to many older residents. Having a local swimming pool can be utilized in many ways with many groups, student swimming included. Yes the pool may need to be subsidized but so would any other water option. At least a indoor pool can be utilized 12 mo. of the year and not limited to 3 mo.- weather permitting. A water park has only 1 use, an actual pool has multiple usage options. Please don't limit our options to only a "play/splash" option for a limited age group. Please be inclusive of all ages and usage possibilities for the greater good. Thank you. Having the indoor pool has been a great thing for the community. I believe it should undergo the necessary renovations to bring it to a modern state. It is especially nice having the indoor option. Hour 4 and 6-year-old had been taking swim lessons at lifetime fitness, and we plan to switch them to urbandale ASAP. The only reason they were taking lessons at lifetime was that we didn't realize urbandale offered them. Long term I would love to see urbandale have some type of aquatic center. We love our location and we absolutely love Urbandale, but we've considered moving to either Johnston or Ankeny because they seem to offer so much more for young families. How about Urbandale come up with a plan to replace the Urbandale pool so residents don’t have to go to other places. Having an aquatic park like Clive and west Des Moines would attract new residents and improve the property values in Urbandale. How much of subsidy we are talking about, if other places charge too much I will not participate. How will this impact swim clubs and high school swimming athletics? Are there plans to build a new pool? Why weren't the issues with the pool taken into account with the bond issue to rebuild/close schools and add an athletic facility? Why was the athletic facility more of a priority? I agree with permantley closing the Urbandale pool and finding another solution. It would be great to have an aquatic center in Urbandale, but the indoor pool has run its course and cannot compete with the new aquatic centers in the surrounding communites. I already submitted my survey but I wanted to add that I attend the Mercy Facility in Clive now and pay $60/ mo. Any reimbursement is appreciated. I always appreciated the warm water as an early morning lap swimmer. I have not gone to the Y

Page 6 of 41 because of this😊😊. I appreciate this is not that important in the big picture I always thought the pool was a great asset for urbandale kids and adults especially in this older part of the city. I think opening an aquatic center of our own would be awesome, but as I get older, I wish the pool would remain so I could enjoy it more. I am allergic to chlorine so would not use a pool unless it is salt water. There may be others who are limited in this way. It’s has better therapeutic use as well. This is the trend. I am not in favor of being required to join a Y in order to benefit from something I am paying for as a taxpayer.

While I do realize many people want a ‘water park’ facility. Whatever we have should be available year round, otherwise a lot of money for only a few weeks use.

I am not in favor of shutting down the pool. I personally like having a place to lap swim and take the grand kids that is close and is big enough to enjoy those activities. I am also not in favor of Urbandale building a aquatic center as I dont think the metro area can support another one and it will probalbly run a deficit with that as well. Is there a possibility the city can buy the land from the school district and either build something new or fix and or add to the existing facility. I am not likely to use aquatic programs in either Urbandale or any neighboring community as I have no need or interest in aquatic programming. I do, however, feel there are adequate pools and aquatic services available through neighboring communities and area fitness centers to serve the Urbandale community. I do not see a need for Urbandale to invest in a new facility that will eventually become another money pit. I and 3 grandkids used pool frequently. Would miss this community asset . If you close it do not put millions o f dollars into another water park like every other city within 10 miles has. If this closure is being advertised as a money saver, do not build anything else. I appreciate downtown urbandale having a swimming pool for the youth. I worry by having pools exclusively on the westside, we are limiting access for our families downtown on the lower socioeconomic scale. I assume I pay taxes for this facility and it should remain open for our use I believe strongly that the pool is mismanaged The pool manager is unfriendly to patrons and staff, frequently closed the pool on holiday weekends and other times that families would have used the pool. The stated reason was often because there were .lt enough guards. Locker rooms are not clean and lockers are rusted but we used funds to purchase sunomi boards that are a big flop New management, funds spent wisely and aggressive marketing could make this a popular venue. I have been a member for over 5 years and I have benefited from the exercise and comraderi of other pool members

I believe that our pool is the only public indoor pool, it would be a shame to lose this resource. There has been a push to put in a water-park style pool in the western half of the city, however, I don't believe that will serve the city or metro well as there is already several such pools within the metro. I greatly appreciate the offer of subsidies, but guess that I will still experience a cost increase going to the YMCA or elsewhere. The cost of swim lessons and the teacher/student are both higher. I believe that you are using Covid as an excuse to close this pool. I have used this pool for the past 6 or 7 years - enrolling in adult exercise classes two or three sessions a year. I have taken grandkids here for

Page 7 of 41 event also. I know many other people that also use this facility and sorely miss it. I believe Urbandale needs a pool or aquatic center for residents. Indoor pool is valuable for winter months. YMCAs are not in the area, goldfish is expensive and not feasible for open swim, and Clive aquatic center is dated. I can't believe you would even consider closing our pool. I have no interest in the nasty germfest at the YMCA or some random corporate nonsense. Our pool provides a valuable service to the community at an affordable price. We regularly swim and attend class there and do not agree with this decision. I can't imagine taking the indoor pool away from families. My children have grownup taking swim lessons each summer there, and I'm grateful for the consistency of lessons that don't require cancellation due to inclement weather. We love the proximity of the pool to Lions Park and UHS. At- risk youth have benefitted from swim lessons through the district/parks and recreation MAC Camp each summer. The ability to teach all children HOW to swim is HUGE!!! We strongly encourage you to keep this indoor facility accessible to students and families in Urbandale. I certainly understand the rationale for wanting to close the Urbandale Pool due to the continued repairs, maintenance issues and costs. But as an Urbandale resident, I really think we need to come up with an alternative swimming option within our community. I personally would prefer to have a facility that can be used all year around - not just an outdoor pool for the Summer months.

As I watched and participated in the June 30th Urbandale City Council meeting, I learned about the closing for the first time. I was shocked to hear one of the Council Members mention that they were first learning about the closing during that meeting as well. As I was watching, I was wondering if the Urbandale School District has been made aware of the closing or if they had been consulted. My children just graduated from UHS over the last couple years, so they won't be impacted. But I'm curious if anyone has thought about what the UMS & UHS kids will do for their "Swimming" Sessions for PE or lessons? I do not feel safe going anywhere for exercising I do not support an aquatic center for Urbandale. It is only good for 3 months and doesn't promote the ability to have swimming instruction. There are others in the metro area that are not now filled to capacity. I do not support building an aquatic center for Urbandale. Since the cost of maintaining our indoor pool is so high, I feel it would be even higher for an outdoor pool which is only open during the summer months. There is plenty of space at other metro aquatic centers around the area for us to use them. I do not want an annual subsidy placed UNLESS there’s a new/updated aquatic center built I don’t feel safe going to the gym currently, and have cancelled my YMCA membership. I don’t think that our Urbandale pool should be shut down all the other surrounding areas have a pool and I think if this is going to be closed there should be a pool built for a Urbandale I don’t wish the pool to close. It’s heartbreaking. My four children have all taken swimming lessons there their whole lives. Averaging three lesson sessions per child per summer over the years. Urbandales lessons and teachers were the best around. I recommended the Urbandale pool to everyone. I also have taken fitness classes there that were wonderful. I even learned to swim there as a child and went on to be on swim team. It will be a major loss to the city. I don’t you’re likely to subsidize me as a Des Moines resident. I would pay much more than the current class cost to keep the Urbandale pool open. It is a lovely pool and I’ve loved the many deep water aerobics classes I’ve taken there. I’m wondering if the deep water classes could even be replicated at any pool a reasonable distance from me. I don't want to lose a community pool, but it is in need of updating... I enjoy having the indoor pool option and would like to see it remain open.

Page 8 of 41 I enjoy the local option pool. It’s close to home, serves a large community. Keep it closed until the pandemic is controlled, but open again like normal. I enjoyed having the Urbandale pool available to me, but I also am a member of the YMCA. As such, I personally do have other options. I do believe however that a city of Urbandale's size should have a public pool available, and it is unfortunate that we do not have a YMCA branch inside of our city limits. I feel like the pool that we have right now and Urbandale is a waste of taxpayers money I think that we should be able to get our own waterpark like every other city has every year our money goes outside of our city. My family and friends that live in Urbandale goes to Ankeny or Altoona to swim. Urbandale has the money. When they going to start thinking about our kids and keeping our money here in Urbandale????? I feel that if people are going to the pools, they are making the choice to be exposed. It is natural for the virus to spread. We have all been made aware of the dangers and if we choose to put ourselves in situations to catch it, it's on us. Not having things open is effecting families for the worse. Leave it up to the public to choose. I feel the indoor pool should be reopened and continued or new facilities available for Urbandale residents as well as provide facilities for year round use for seniors and school swim teams and other learn to swim classes. The metro area does not have facilities on the west side to serve the population adequately if the Urbandale pool permanently closes. I find it particularly awesome that you send out this survey on lack of community use of an Urbandale facility while the formerly gorgeous prairie in Walnut Creek Park gets a bulldozer. Great work to all concerned (sarcasm) and I look forward to the complete results of this survey being published on community websites.Stop wasting taxpayer money in pursuit of doing something. I grew up in URBANDALE going to the pool, and have taken my kids there many times as a current URBANDALE resident. It is a valued resource in our community and able to be used year round. I hope it stays open. I have 2 special needs kids that haven't liked sports, but like to swim. This is their only way to get enough exercise in the winter. (We go all year around, however.) One has ADHD, so he especially needs the activity. I don't think the current pool should be closed until there is a pool to replace it. My kids have also taken lessons at the Urbandale Public Swimming Pool.

I didn't know anything about this until I saw it on a friend's fb page. I have since shared it in some fb groups and was surprised how many people hadn't heard anything about it! I think you should at least delay your decision for now (until after the pandemic), so you can get a better idea of what Urbandale citizens really want.

I can't imagine the other options mentioned would be as convenient. It would probably cause too much crowding also.

My oldest son was wanting to have a birthday party at the pool for his next birthday. I also think it's important for kids to learn how to swim in PE. I have attempted to use the YMCA in Waukee. Very busy. Hard to get into classes. Aquatics bland. No music or instructor to pump you up and make class fun. Would like to remain in deep water aquatics. Clive pool is outdoors. I have been a Non-Resident member of the Urbandale Pool for TEN years. I NEED to swim for health reasons; and, closing the pool would cause an extreme hardship--especially in the winter when I cannot drive very far. Denise Best, is totally dedicated to her students and to the "therapy" of swimming. It was Denise that convinced whole groups of us in class to exercise even more on our own during the

Page 9 of 41 increasingly popular senior lap-swims. That alone caused many season-ticket purchases, bringing additional revenue into the pool. It was Denise who encouraged me to train for the swimming competition in the Iowa Games/Senior Olympics. That training has kept me younger and healthier than I would have thought possible. I have made treasured memories with my grandsons at the pool during the open swim, when we work on their swimming skills in the water that is a just-right temperature. If that pool closes, will another pool be as comfortable for them to try new water activities? I have been in favor of an outdoor Aquatic Center since we moved here and purchased a home in Urbandale 13 years ago. I’ve been to several city Council meetings and have spoken in favor of having an aquatic center go to a vote, and it was my understanding that this was supposed to go to a vote this past year after the fire station vote was completed. Unfortunately if Aquatic Center ever does get approved and built in Urbandale, my kids will probably be too old to actually enjoy it as we’ve been waiting for over 13 years for it. I have been in favor of an outdoor Aquatic Center since we moved here and purchased a home in Urbandale 13 years ago. I’ve been to several city Council meetings and have spoken in favor of having an aquatic center go to a vote, and it was my understanding that this was supposed to go to a vote this past year after the fire station vote was completed. Unfortunately if Aquatic Center ever does get approved and built in Urbandale, my kids will probably be too old to actually enjoy it as we’ve been waiting for over 13 years for it. I have been in Urbandale since the fall of 2001 and have never used the pool. Although when my mother was alive she used it for the water aerobics all of the time. She was a major force to keep the pool for the elderly since facilities like Clive Aquatic park was not really setup for just the elderly. It used to be just for water aerobics, then lap swimmers then open for all. They did not have to compete with kids and other people wanting to play and dive. I have emailed the city council members but I feel the pool should stay open I know the lease is up in 2026 but they should at least leave it open until that happens and they have plans for another Pool. I have great memories there and feel that it is still valuable I have had an annual membership for the past 3 years. As a former runner with knee problems I transitioned to lap swimming as an integral part of my physical fitness. I am 67 years old and am very disappointed to hear that the pool may close. I have had nothing but great experiences with the Urbandale Pool and their exercise classes. The instruction and group of people in the class were excellent to work with. Rather than close the pool I would suggest that you open the pool for swimming to different hours. As a person that works, I was only able to sign up for exercise classes and was unable to ever come in and swim laps. This deterred me from buying a membership. If lap swim started around 3 or even 4PM I would have gladly bought a membership not only for myself but for my family. I strongly encourage the pool to not be closed but for you to look at what you can change to encourage higher membership and more availability for its members. I have heard about a long rumored aquatic center for Urbandale near Walnut Creek park. Not sure this is being considered but should be. I have lived in Urbandale for 3.5 years with three young children, and have not used the pool because we like going to the Y for swim lessons and have preferred other metro public pools for fun/open swim time. I am sure the City of Urbandale could use all that extra money in other, more productive and creative ways! :)

I wonder if the money saved in 2020 could help fund face shields for all Urbandale school students. (Face shields are easier to disinfect, can't be chewed on like masks and protects eyes.) I have no interest in using a pool. I would prefer my tax dollars that subsidize the pool are used for

Page 10 of 41 paying our first responders or to lower our property taxes. I have only taken my kids there once they are now 9 & 13 we did swim lessons once a year ago and it was so hot inside i couldn’t stand to be in there. Also the pool inside is deep and there is only the small pool outside so my kids would have to separate when they were younger and I was not going to leave one alone. There is also nothing exciting at the inside pool. This pool has not really been of any interest to our family. I have participated in Deep Water Toning Aerobics for several years, and had just checked last week into signing up again and found out the pool was still closed. I would use the Waukee facility if made available because I live closer to it, live in Dallas Co., and it would be convenient. A subsidy would make it much more affordable. I’m disabled and on a fixed income. Thank you. I have participated in shallow water aerobics for 5+ years and completed several surveys about keeping an indoor pool in Urbandale. I support the same now. I don’t know if I would change to a different pool even with a subsidy or not at this point. I have recently moved to Urbandale and the pool was a big draw for me to choose my neighborhood. I would really hate to see it closed. I have recently moved to Urbandale and the pool was a big draw for me to choose my neighborhood. I would really hate to see it closed. I have recently moved to Urbandale and the pool was a big draw for me to choose my neighborhood. I would really hate to see it closed. I have three children ages 6 and under and have struggled to make the time work at lions park which is the only free water activity in Urbandale. In the past it has been open 1:00-4:00 which is during naps for many young children. I understand that is because it is staffed with a guard. I think it would be a very good idea to open a couple of spray grounds key splash pads at a couple of the larger parks. Walker Johnston has space where one could be located behind the library and lions park would also be a great location. These are safer choices for young children that have not mastered swim lessons yet. Thank you! I have used both the Y and Clive aquatic center for many years because the facility options and program options and timeframes are better for my schedule. While I would LOVE to still have an aquatic center/pool within walking distance of my house, i think there needs to be several improvements that may be cost prohibitive. I just started my daughter in swim lessons there this winter. My experience was fantastic. I grew up swimming for Urbandale Johnston swim team and this pool has been part of my life for many years. I would hate to see it close. I would have had my daughter in more swim lessons however the classes fill up so fast and was unable to get her enrolled in another session. My preference would be for her to go weekly to start introducing her to the water and water safety. She’s two. i know that the pool is in need of major repairs, but isn't that part of being a community? we fund bike trails, welcome signs to the city, libraries, etc. why is the pool the exception? there is a health benefit to the citizens. it is close to the senior center where members could use it. doesn't the swim team practice there? this building is part of our history. instead of tearing down and replacing, or let a building sit empty for years, lets improve what we have. we are uniquely urbandale so lets keep our unique pool!!! I know the current pool is a money pit for Urbandale taxpayers. I believe it will need to be permanently closed before residents will seriously consider other aquatic options. I know the pool is older and needs quite a bit of maintenance and upgrades but it would make Urbandale less unique if it were closed. We used the pool quite a bit for swim lessons when the kids were younger and for kids in their early teens, it’s a great place to be able to go in the summer. I would just hate to loss this community asset.

Page 11 of 41 I like how close your indoor pool was. I don't know that I would be willing to go to clive. I like that our local pool is close to the eastern Urbandale neighborhoods. I would really like to see some investment made to the original swimming pool, or another build on the east side of town. I feel the east side of the Urbandale community is overlooked now that the west side has grown. It seems that the funding for growth is prejudiced to the potential tax growth of the new neighborhoods. I like that the pool is year round and enclosed so that the weather isn't a deterring factor. I like the city pool, it is good size and close to my home. If this pool is closed I will not swim anymore I like the convenience of using a pool close to my home. The lane swimming times were perfect and most of the time not overcrowded with people. The Walnut Creek YMCA would probably be the closest “affordable” pool for me should the Urbandale pool closes. This pool is already over crowded with swim team practices and swim lessons. Lap swimming seems to be very low on their priority list as the times are either super early or really late. It would be unfortunate to see this pool closed and not replaced. I like the location of the Urbandale pool. I like the pool right where it is. I say tear it down and build a new modern pool that everyone in the community can enjoy. I like using the Urbandale pool for swim lessons for my son. The option of year round lessons is not something I can find in Urbandale without paying high prices or.buying a membership. Losing this space will make it harder for families to find affordable swimming options. I liked the pool until it became stuffed with people. I understood the need for revenue-generating classes, but having them during lap swim was distracting and unpleasant for me. As a weak swimmer, I felt the lanes were full of stronger or more aggressive swimmers. The lanes where I could swim were full of little kids. I used to swim almost every day years ago, but slowly drew that to a close because it was no longer relaxing for me. I say all this to justify my response about being less likely to go elsewhere. I don't know if any other pool is going to be as wide open and relaxing as our pool was. I am not likely to pay for anything or even go to a first visit to a pool I've never been to before not knowing what the layout is. I have often wondered if there are other people who are not fully confident or wanting a peaceful experience and who may feel as I do. The reason I was familiar with our pool was due to taking small children to the small pool/splash area. I loved the pool back in 2008-09, but again, I truly did understand the need to make money and I thought they did a good job offering a nice variety of classes. Children need to learn to swim in order to be safe, etc. I will miss the pool, but it is very expensive to keep. An alternative will be nice, but again I'm not sure where I would fit into that. I live in Johnston and there are no recreational pools that are accessible by the public like Urbandale. Clive is MUCH too far away as are really any other pools. Urbandale is a nice facility and easy to get to from Johnston. I live in the Patricia Park, and the Clive Aquatic Center in a quick drive and I like their lazy river exercise classes I live two minutes from the pool. I love it. I just learned to swim there. Driving somewhere else that is more likely to be crowded sounds not fun. I just want a pool, not an aquatic center with screaming kids. I love our swimming lessons, water classes, lap swim & open swim. The current pool is an all year round pool. It is nice to be able to go to a public pool in an Iowa winter. Not having our indoor pool will not be the same. I think the decisions have been made without input from the community. A few years ago there some plans presented on a way to move ahead with the current pool. It seams like this has been determined when the public is distracted by Covid-19 and not made aware of any plans till the last minute. The question above provides no other options. It is this or that. I will continue my family’s water activities elsewhere if pool is closed. But do you give an option to we want to keep our current pool? Do I want the pool to close? NO. Would I like an all year round pool in Urbandale? Yes Do other participants from attend the pool who are not Urbandale residents? Yes This seams like an under the table decision

Page 12 of 41 at a time when the focus is Covid-19 for the majority of the populations. COVID-19 has been the new normal. Some of our old normals are the Urbandale Indoor pool. Sneaking this thru at this time, does not seam to include the community.

I love that the pool is so close to home & open year round. I hope you’d remain open (when it’s safe) for open swim & birthday parties. My kids also love going to the pool for PE. I love the current pool. It is well located and gives me the opportunity to lap swim 4-5 times/week. I do not need to join a club that has weights, racquet ball, etc - I only want to pay to use the pool, and use it year round (must be indoor). I realize I’ve had it “good” for several years- hope something can be worked out. I also think it would be a great addition to have a new pool with water features somewhere in East Urbandale. I love the indoor pool in Urbandale. It's a great option for year round swimming and diving. It would be nice to at least be nice to have a lower cost of joining at the Clive Aquatic Center for warm weather swimming, if the Urbandale pool had to close. I love the programs & instruction @ Urbandale pool. Its convenience & programs are what keep me coming back. I love the Urb pool. I love my instructor Denise Best. Driving there in the winter can be a pain but it is worth it. I have looked into the Clive YMCA and the pool at the Mercy Fitness place on Univ in WDM and neither hold a candle to the Urb pool. Where else could you hold Deep Water Fitness, lap swimming and children’s swimming lessons all at the same time? NOWHERE. If you close the pool you will be forcing seniors who DO NOT require special needs to have to lower their level of physical activity and go to “rehab” pools where they will be limited in what they are allowed to do. I love this pool and my class. I have been attending classes there off and on for the last 5 years. I had to take some time awY in order to care fir my mom, otherwise I was there. Also, it makes zero sense to me that the Urbandale kids go to Johnston for school swim activities. As long as they are able to fill the classes that is money coming in. Please please DO NOT close this pool. Thank you - Amy Brichetto I loved the pool and the group of people I worked out with. The instructor was amazing. And deep water toning my favorite. I marked less likely but really the subsidy would not have a impact. We primarily use Waukee YMCA for recreational pool needs due to proximity. I miss having (free) neighborhood park splash pads and wading pools. I need a place to swim year round. An outdoor pool is not acceptable. There are plenty of outdoor pools. We do not need another one. I need an affordable location to take my kids for swimming lessons. Going through the city for Urbandale pools has been affordable in the past. I need communication about hours the pool is open. I need swimming lessons close by I need/want an indoor pool with year round lap swimming in "warmer" water. (at least 78-80 degrees). I had been swimming 5 days a week at a retirement community pool that has been closed to non-resident members since March 10. Most likely it will not reopen to outside members. The location of the Urbandale Pool is very convenient for me, and I hoped it would re-open and be available for lap swimming. I am guessing the Y would be the only one of your options that might fill that need. I prefer to join with another entity to share in their already up and running services. To maintain our own is too costly and too high maintenance.

Page 13 of 41 I provided my answers to this survey assuming you are referring to the INDOOR Urbandale pool. I would like to see an OUTDOOR public swimming pool available in Urbandale. Similar to Clive public swimming pool or the three pools west desmoines and Ankeny offers. I support the closure of the indoor pool because the cost to taxpayers is too high given the cost to maintain such a dated / aged facility. I hope the City Council pursues plans to provide a future site for aquatics per the feasibility study and future needs of Urbandale residents. I swam as a member of the Johnston Urbandale swim team in the early '90s. Still a Johnston resident, I prefer Urbandale"s pool temp over Summit. Lap swimming for sprint triathlons & open swimming for my family have been most recently our usage. The YMCA locations are not convenient for northern residents. The closure makes me quite sad and hoping a resolution will be resolved in favor of all of us who love Urbandale Pool. I think a community pool is important! I think closing this pool is doing an injustice to the children in the community. Each time I’ve been to the pool it has been busy. I think it would be a great thing for the community. I think it would be very irresponsible to close this swimming pool. Not only in the times our family has frequented the pool and been in the company of many others I think the close proximity to Urbandale High School is an advantage for their swim team. I think it’s time for our city to make an outdoor aquatic center. We travel to wsdm, Clive and Ankeny during the summer to enjoy their aquatic centers. Would love to just stay in our community. i think its pretty low to use covid 19 to close the pool, i think that the pool should stay open so that my kids can have open swim and go swim with there class and schools I think the outdoor section could be expanded to create a nice splash pad and pool area. The previous hours made it difficult to use it often. I think the pool should stay open as it provides a unique service to this community. Its central to “old” Urbandale and is essential for the community and schools. Perhaps new marketing campaigns would refresh and increase usage as not a lot of people are aware of all the options the pool provides. Please don’t close it permanently! I think the pool should stay open. A lot of kids go there and enjoy there time. My kids love to swim and have so much fun. I think the Urbandale needs a community pool facility. This situation saddens me. Although I understand the cost/benefits are not in favor of keeping the community pool, I would like there to be a plan for a new pool/aquatic center in our own community that will provide swim lessons, open swim, & other aquatic activities. I want to spend my dollars to support my own community. I think we need some sort of aquatic facility in Urbandale if the indoor pool is going to be closed permanently. Perhaps a partnership with the Clive Aquatic Center? I would definitely use an outdoor pool in the summer months. I think.offering lower yearly.passes for next year. I am ok with pool being closed. I thought there was going to be an Aquatic Center in the Walnut Hills area of Urbandale. It was nice to use the indoor pool in winter for family time. My son did participate in swimming lessons at the Urbandale pool...given how many people use the aquatic centers for fun, not sure how the swimming lessons might be accomplished there. I took my daughter to swimming lessons all through grade school. And in high school she took them again to be a lifeguard. We loved coming to the pool. It will be sad to lose it. I understand the annual costs to support the Urbandale pool but I have mixed feelings about closing it. The location is ideal for swim lessons for all middle school & high school students throughout the school

Page 14 of 41 year. My daughters participated in this & I greatly appreciated it. Could the current pool be rebuilt?

I understand the costs to keep this pool operating are futile, but it is also a wonderful source for lifeguard training and recreation and exercise in the winter months. Urbandale is growing west, but several of our schools are located here and some things should remain in the older parts of Urbandale. Maybe a new aquatic center could be replacement for this pool in the exact same location. I understand the current pool is unsustainable. However I think it is important to note that it is the only indoor public/non-membership pool in the surrounding area. This is valuable to the community. If private partnerships are formed please consider transportation issues for residents who would no longer have access to a pool within their own city . I believe an affordable single use option is also important. Even with discounts, there are Urbandale residents who will be unable to afford a membership or who would not use one with enough frequency to justify its purchase, but who would still find value in being able to go a few times a year. I understand the need for a new pool. I would hope that if at all possible it would include an indoor pool as that it is a feature I love about our pool. I will definitely miss being 5 minutes away from the pool since I know it would be built out west if Urbandale chooses to build a pool. I also wonder how closing the pool will impact PE classes that now have swimming units since being able to swim is an essential life skill in my opinion. I use the pool through CIA. It’s important at this time of covid to have pools open to provide club, community youth , etc a place to go and not only learn to swim for safety but also to provide community youth a place to swim. Hope this pool stays open. The other schools and facilities are so limited. I want a local pool its one of the reasons we picked our location. There is no reason to have pools closed, we can not hid from covid-19 and many scientists are now saying its better for everyone to get in the summertime. Like the flu its very mild warmer weather. I want an aquatic center in Urbandale. For years I have had to pay non resident rates for our pool passes to the Clive aquatic center. I buy for three people plus our nanny each year. I want some place close to my home! I like the Urbandale pool due to it's being heated! My doctor says i need non impact exercise due to my bad knees and back injury. But i wont drive half way cross town to get it!!! I want the pool to remain open as is. I was a resident of Urbandale for 33 years & just moved a short distance to Johnston 8 months ago. I was involved with senior water aerobics in Urbandale at least the past 12 years & found the last 7 years of it to be a top notch program that benefitted my health. I understand the closing of the pool & would like to see some kind of pool to continue the programs that exist. I understand the problems that now exist because of the current economy & available land. I may not be a resident of Urbandale any longer but still feel like I am with family, church, & businesses that we support there. I feel strongly that a pool is needed somewhere in Urbandale. Thanks for asking for input!

I was an Urbandale resident for most of my life and just moved to Johnston when we downsized our home. I have been a patron of the pool and pool activities since it was built in 1974. For the past 3 years I have been participating in Senior Water Exercise and Aerobics. The current pool is fine for classes and recreational swimming and is very busy. I think it should remain open until a newer pool is completed. I was disappointed to learned that the pool is closing. This is the only pool that we take our son to for swim lessons and open swim. Going to other community partners is not on our plans in the future. Please reconsider keeping on the pool open. Thanks, Tong I was on the swimming/diving team in high school. The city pool should remain open with some

Page 15 of 41 updates. Many more kids/families will enjoy the facility. Please keep the Urbandale pool! I will be very sad if they close this pool. I used to come almost every day to swim with my friends. I suffer depression and anxiety swimming helps me with this condition. it's very close to my house and stuffing is very friendly. I don't like to travel long distance to use other facilities. I will greatly miss the Urbandale pool. The staff, lifeguards, and fellow swimmers were always friendly and helpful. Its location (north metro area) is/was very convenient. Its cost was very affordable. The facility, especially the skylight, is/was great. I will really miss the Urbandale pool. I've been going to the early morning lap swim twice a week for many years. The time and location were convenient, and there was always room, although sometimes it was crowded; there were so many regular swimmers who really valued this fitness opportunity. It would be wonderful to still have some option for lap swimming; it is a valuable no-impact fitness option. Swimming also helped me to recover from severe muscle tightness caused by cancer-related radiation treatment. Many people also used the pool for post-injury water therapy. I wish the Urbandale Community would support water safety as well as health and wellness within the community. We built a beautiful weight facility for our high schoolers but we have to leave the community to find something for everyone else. Water safety is so important and it should be important all year round not just in the Summer. The YMCA and other pools are already at maximum capacity with limited water time available. I would be likely to use other options with a subsidy if that was my only choice and no options were available in my community. I would; however, like to see Urbandale have its own aquatic center. I would be more likely to visit a community partner program because they would be closer to my home. I feel the western part of Urbandale is under served in regards to this city amenity. I would love for the city to add splash pads to existing parks, or to build an outdoor aqua center. I would be sad to lose the Urbandale pool. It’s close, great class availability & size, great way to meet other community members & stay in shape during the cold or bad weather. I would be sad to see the Urbandale Pool closed permanently. However, being a senior citizen it wouldn't matter a great deal to me; I just hate for the younger folks to not have a community pool. I would be very sad if this pool remained closed, as the teachers and course offerings are much better than the YMCA. you're the only place in the city that offers a Deep Water class! I would hate to see the Urbandale pool close permanently. It is a valuable resource for the community and school. With it being indoor and not as crowded as the surrounding centers, it has been a tremendous resource to our family. It is wonderful to be able to swim, no matter the weather. I would have used the Urbandale aquatic center if it was available for more hours than the current ones. I would like more options in the City of Urbandale I would like to see an Urbandale aquatic center after the pandemic. I would like to see the pool open but please raise the water temperature. We would use it much more often. In addition please begin planning on the aquatic center on the west side. That project is long overdue. I would like to see Urbandale fulfill its plan of building an aquatic center in Western Urbandale. How about partnering with a city like Grimes to build an aquatic center? There is nothing on the NW side of town that is accessible to Urbandale residents, an area of town that is growing exponentially.

Ideally, I think an indoor/outdoor facility would be most beneficial and it could be rented out to club teams or high school teams for use all year round. Pool time is at a premium and difficult to find for competitive swimming. Perhaps even partnering with a local club team would be an idea. I would love access to the additional resources but would be sad to see the Urbandale pool closed.

Page 16 of 41 Would be interested to also know how this might impact high school swim team - that might change my stance I would love to have the option to swim lessons for my young daughter close to home (she is only 15 months & we had planned to start this summer but couldn't due to COVID-19). I would love to see spraygrounds/splashpads as an aquatic activity at local parks! The wading pool at lions park does not meet community needs by operating during the time most toddlers, most appropriate for the pool are napping and during the hottest time of the day. I travel out of Urbandale, to Des Moines, to access splashpads in the mornings/evenings. I agree with accessing community partners for swimming lessons, etc, I think that is a great offer! I do not support investing millions of dollars into an Urbandale “aquatic” center when there are several existing options. Thank you for your work seeking creative options to continue to meet community needs. I would love to see Urbandale have a public/city indoor pool in the future I would love to use the pool more for lap swimming / open swim but the old hours weren’t great. If you partnered with the Y or swim school it would be beneficial for swimming lessons as they have amazing programs, but I would still like to see better pool hours.

Open swim 1-4 is during nap time for most small aged children if they want to swim more than one hour. I love the location as it’s the only pool super close to Urbandale. Closest Y to our house in Urbandale is a 15 min drive I would much rather have the Urbandale Pool back open. I would not be more or less likely to use aquatic facilities if the Urbandale pool were closed permanently. I would not receive it as I live in Des Moines I would not want to travel to any of these other options. The reason I go to the Urbandale pool is it’s close! I hope they don’t close permanently!. I feel it is essential to the city and needs to made imore appealing so more people would take advantage of it, especially the older generation! I would not want to travel to any of these other options. The reason I go to the Urbandale pool is it’s close! I hope they don’t close permanently!. I feel it is essential to the city and needs to made imore appealing so more people would take advantage of it, especially the older generation! I would participate with the city of Clive but would not use a YMCA I would prefer a community pool in urbandale. I would prefer a reduction in my home taxes. I would prefer to use an outdoor pool or the Waukee YMCA swimming pool. Urbandale residents do have an indoor pool option through the YMCA. It would be nice to have an outdoor pool option for residents at a discounted cost, and the Clive Aquatic Center is my go to now. Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback. I would rather my money go toward supporting the Urbandale Parks and Rec. The programs in Urbandale are a main reason we moved here. It would be a great loss to the community. Please reconsider. I would rather use the aquatic center in Clive I would really like to see a pool in Urbandale. We have taken swim lessons in Clive but classes open up first to Clive residents and then we are either out of luck or stuck with less desirable times. That will limit the ability of Urbandale kids to learn how to swim. We need a better option for Urbandale kids. I grew up in Urbandale and it is sad to see that my kids don’t even have the opportunities I had. I would swim but I lack time and I live in the west side of Urbandale so other facilities are more convenient

Page 17 of 41 I`ve been a lap swimmer at the pool for over 37 years. I understand the issues outlined in this consideration, BUT think it`s a mistake as it takes away the last indoor public pool option in the community at large. I`ve seen many families use the facility in the summer and on weekends throughout the year. I`ve also seen a regular group of dedicated lap swimmers and water exercisers over the years and wonder what their options will be if the pool closes without there being a local option, ie. a new facility here in Urbandale with an indoor pool, which set this pool apart from all the other public pools in the metro area. I will continue to swim regardless of the outcome, but feel this is a major loss for the community and it`s citizens. I wish there was a way to keep the pool open until we have a new facility as was contemplated a few years back. I’d like to see a full indoor aquatic center that could be used year-round. I’d prefer a location close to my residence and to support a local Urbandale business. The aerobic classes I’ve participated in at the Urbandale pool are not classes that are offered elsewhere. I enjoy the intimate feeling of the aerobic classes and the relationships I’ve been able to build specifically because of these classes. I’d rather find private lessons. I’m curious how the students would have their swimming sessions in school. Not sure where the closest ymca is these days. If it’s Waukee that’s quite a long way to go to use the pool. I wish we had an aquatic option in Urbandale like they discussed about 15 years ago with an indoor aquatic center and basketball/community offerings. We need places like that here in Urbandale for our community where kids can ride their bikes to it or walk to it not have to drive to Waukee.... I’m interested in what the future plans are for that location if pool is torn down. Senior Center needs more parking spaces or will space just be for the high school. I’m not interested in going to the Y. I recently left the Y for various reasons. I prefer urbandale pool. I’m hoping for it to stay open for the kids. I’m not interested in going to the Y. I recently left the Y for various reasons. I prefer urbandale pool. I’m hoping for it to stay open for the kids. I’m not interested in going to the Y. I recently left the Y for various reasons. I prefer urbandale pool. I’m hoping for it to stay open for the kids. I’m not likely to use another facility because they are not close to my house. No desire to commute 15+ Minutes. Aquatic aerobic class at the Y are only offered in the day. No evening classes. Clive no indoor option for winter swimming. Where will Urbandale students go for swimming in PE if pool closes? Take bond money or get another bond to fix up current facility and keep it open until a new one can be constructed. I’m so disappointed to hear about this. I loved being the only town with a public pool. My family of six will be devastated if the pool closes- and I’ll expect a refund of the season passes we bought. I’ve been going to senior water exercise for almost 7 years, being in the water helps ease the pain of my arthritis. If the pool closed, I could go somewhere else for water exercise, but I would not be happy about it. I’ve taken other water classes but none compare to Urbandales. Denise Best is an outstanding instructor and I consider her a friend. The women in my senior class are very close, we are all very upset about this situation.This class was something I looked forward to each week, It was my 45 minutes of feeling good I’ve taken water aerobics classes at the Walnut Creek Y, lifetime, and now Clive aquatic center and Denise and Kayla at the Urbandale pool are by far the best instructors in the area. I have taken classes from both Denise and Kayla the last 3 years all year around and I can not emphasize enough the quality and superiority of their classes compared to others in the area and how much it has improved my health. It will be a tremendous loss not to offer the aqua exercises anymore. If it helps lower the cost then yes !!!

Page 18 of 41 If neighboring communities are opening up their aquatics, I think Urbandale should as well. If Pool is Closed, Let’s not build a new Pool in western Urbandale. We also do not need an Aquatic Center. Big fan of Our Parks And Bike Trails, I would like to see more development in that direction. If the pool closes does that mean swimming will not be offered during PE anymore? What about swim team in the high school? I love the Urbandale pool and will continue to use it, if it stays open. If this pool closes don’t try coming up with some outlandish aquatic center later - will definitely vote NO if we cant keep it open, build a new pool If we could get a resident discount for family memberships at Clive would be nice. Pools are expensive to maintain and there are a lot of quality options. We have always done swim lessons at Clive or the Y anyway. Prefer to keep community based, but all options are great! If you close please make something like cascade falls in ankeny with slides and diving boards I'm assuming the subsidy would only be for Urbandale residents, which account for only about half of the pool's program patrons (and an unknown number of free swim patrons since they are not tracked at all, and therefore not included in the statistics). The reason I choose to take water fitness classes at the Urbandale pool is because they are far better than what the YMCA and private gyms offer. The classes are limited in enrollment, and therefore less crowded. We always have the same instructor, Denise Best, who ensures we are doing the exercises correctly. The class is easy to follow since Denise has a microphone and is on the pool deck. In my experience, instructors at the Y vary, are typically in the water with participants with no microphone, making the class hard to follow, and seldom check that the exercises are being done correctly. The pool attracts many non-residents to Urbandale, who then patronize local businesses before or after class (or free swimming). I'm glad you're keeping the safety of our community at front. I look forward to supporting your facility once it's safe to do so...I will not venture to other locations. I'm interested in swim lessons for my child but am still reluctant to take lessons anywhere regardless of cost with the current state of the pandemic. If more city services were to open safely and numbers were to decline I would be open to considering swim lessons. I'm looking for a nice place to do lap swimming. Existing pools are often busy or very dirty. I'm so sad to hear it closed permanently. We were looking forward to trying swim lessons there and enjoying the splash pad. Indoor setting allows for year round use, schools leverage for swim lesson and alternative exercise with PE/sports teams. Location is good, especially for schools. Previous consideration to close and have outdoor aquatic park in far western Urbandale is not central to community either. Outdoor water parks only in use 3 summer months. Is there still a consideration to build a pool on the walnut hills area of urbandale for the city or urbandale and or expand on that park I.e. baseball fields,playground,etc. ( west on aurora ave in Dallas county but urbandale residents) That was our draw to this neighborhood, but seems like nothing is happening on our end of urbandale. It is a difficult situation. We have enjoyed the pool for many years. I am sure that you are trying to find the best solution. Perhaps you could partner with Mercy Health and Fitness in Clive. Good luck. It is already hard to find a low cost aquatic facility that offers a variety of simple and useful programs like swim lessons and aquatic exercise classes. I have loved the classes at Urbandale Pool in the past and looked forward to bringing my children there in the future. Please keep swimming pools accessible to more in the community of Urbandale. It is critical that the pool remain. I suggest you fix the pool and keep it open. It is extremely hard to find affordable swim lesson options. If discounts were provided at businesses and organizations listed above, we would almost definitely use their services. It is important to have a low cost option for swimming lessons. The YMCA offers lessons at a much

Page 19 of 41 higher price. Parks and Rec provides an important community service at a reasonable rate. It is so nice to have a smaller community pool in Urbandale that provides the option of being inside (but with the large doors open to the outside). Our family will be sad to see the pool go. Friends have told us how wonderful swim lessons have been there as well. We wish there was an option for a new pool in Urbandale - that doesn’t have to be some huge aquatic center. Thank you It is the first program I've ever stuck with and I have knee issues and it's been a life saver plus it's close to home. I have recruited people to come. I will literally be sick if this pool closes. It is useful to have a pool on the north side of the suburbs that can be used for club swim team practices. The pool is centrally located and the benefits of swimming are so great for people of all ages. It is very disappointing that the pool is closed; I counted on the indoor facility because it is close to my home, the hours were convenient, and it is an important offering for the residents of Urbandale. It is very important to keep pools open in the area. There is already not enough pool space for competitive swim teams to practice. It saddens me to watch the deterioration of governing for the common good, from the federal level down to municipalities. It also saddens me to witness the polarization of politics where each faction adopts a "my way or the highway" position. Please, please, please, Urbandale, don't succumb to these tendencies. I don't mind paying taxes for the amenities the city provides, and that includes the pool. I not only use it, I need it for my physical fitness requirements. I understand that costs must be addressed. But to that end, you've been batting ideas around re: relocating the pool for a number of years. Perhaps it's time to stop talking and start acting. Find a new location for a city pool and leave the current one open until a new one is built and opened. Thank you. It was nice to have the option of an indoor facility which could be used year round. Utilizing outdoor aquatic centers is helpful in the summer months; however takes away the option for the other 9 months of the year. It remains to be seen what arrangement can be worked out with the YMCA's if Urbandale residents are only interested in the aquatic options. At such time Urbandale starts considering future aquatic options, it would be nice if there were again able to create an indoor facility which could be open year round vs. the large outdoor aquatic centers which can only be used 3 months of the year. It will need to be a location that has open swim and with reasonable prices. Definitely not the Swim School. It would be a loss to the community to not have this pool. We haven’t had the ability to take full advantage as the swim times hasn’t currently worked for open swims. If it is lost definitely a subsidy would be helpful and appreciated in order to utilize City Of Clive Aquatic Center. It would be great if this partnership would include the general YMCA of Des Moines area or a few of the western suburbs selections, rather than just designating one specific YMCA. It would be nice to have an urbandale aquatic center option. We haven’t used the urbandale pool primarily because our family likes the water slides and lazy river. It would be sad to see the pool close. It’s a wonderful option for indoor swimming. It’s nice to have an indoor pool to do things in the winter that’s close to where we live. It’s the only swimming pool my kids love swimming in and take lessons at. It's all about convenience for us. It's the only pool to swim in ..in the winter..please keep it open. Coronavirus will pass just recently became an urbandale resident. I plan on using the indoor facility for myself and children in the future. Keep the pool open Keep the Urbandale Pool open! Kids need to have a place nearby to learn how to swim.. promote that more.. Liked the ability to swim year round for lap swim and convenience of swim lessons for kids

Page 20 of 41 Live far west (Waukee schools) don’t even feel part of Urbandale. Clive pool much closer. Location of the pool was ideal and the staff was great during swim lessons so I was looking forward to continuing lessons there for my daughter. If we had to do lessons somewhere else we have to but we really enjoyed utilizing the Urbandale pool and planned on doing an annual pass when the current restrictions were lifted. Location, climate control (especially in inclement weather), and small class sizes are all benefits of the Urbandale Indoor Pool.

Additionally, the pool has partnered with MAC Camp in the summer by providing lessons to participants and a great resource for those in our community. Most of the kids would not have the opportunity to take swimming lessons without this partnership. It is a highlight of the summer and several students bring back their certification cards from the previous summer with pride. If they did not receive lessons from the Urbandale pool, many of the participants would not know how to swim or seek out this important life skill.

Lastly, the pool provides a great opportunity to meet and build relationships with others in our community. Love that we have an indoor pool option. Mercy Health and wellness center is where I swim now that the pool is closed. I would like a subsidy to that warm water therapy pool and lap pool location. The Urbandale pool location is much closer for me and more economical to use, so personally, I hate to see it close. Mercy Health and wellness center is where I swim now that the pool is closed. I would like a subsidy to that warm water therapy pool and lap pool location. The Urbandale pool location is much closer for me and more economical to use, so personally, I hate to see it close. Missing aerobics class. Always enjoyed. Please find a great option. Would be highly interested More aquatic options are too expensive. Consult with Clive and their aquatic center ... it’s barely open 2 months per year due to weather, attendance, and staffing. It’s an ENORMOUS waste of tax payer money. And it’s still $8/person to get in! More open swim time would be great. My child swims for Central Iowa Aquatics so we have had the opportunity to swim at Urbandale Public Swimming Pool for the past couple of years now as part of that swim team. One of my other children also has received swim lessons at this pool a few years back. This location has been a great option for my family as it is conveniently located and provides great amenities. Access to indoor pools in Des Moines is scarce so Urbandale is poised to provide a needed community pool that many non-profits can make use of including CIA. CIA alone would provide a nearly year-round revenue source for the pool I would imagine.As a resident of Urbandale and father of a child who loves to swim, I strongly support this recommendation. My daughter is 4 and enjoyed her swim lessons there. We really want her to continue so she doesn’t get behind, so would appreciate if you could find a place for swim lessons soon. My family and I just moved into the area a month ago, and we love swimming! I want to be able to sign my boys up for swim lessons somewhere close. Aquatics is near and dear to our hearts. We hope there will be a future for aquatics in Urbandale. My family and I love the pool and don’t have any need to join the ymca just to swim My family is anxious for an Urbandale Aquatic Center, and are willing to pay for the opportunity. We have used other facilities (Lifetime, City of Clive, City of WDM, City of Ankeny & AdventureBay), but the Urbandale pool is outdated and does not have the amenities my family wants. It would be cheaper to subsidize those that want to use aquatic facilities than to maintain the existing pool at a quality level the

Page 21 of 41 citizens deserve.

My family LOVES the indoor pool option in Urbandale and it allows us to take swim lessons even in the winter close to home. Having an indoor pool close to home saves us time and allows us to get to one event and to the other quickly with living in Urbandale. Please don’t close this pool! My family would not feel comfortable at other facilities My hope is that the pool will re-open. I have taken classes and have had a yearly pass for many years. Water exercise is very important to me. I don't know if I would go to the other locations without knowing more about them. It would be very unfortunate for the City of Urbandale to not have a public pool for their community. My in-laws have a pool so I would consider using a pool for my kids if it had slides or other fun activities with it. My kids already go to Goldfish. It was impossible to get my 2 kids into a swim class that worked with our schedule at the Udale pool. Goldfish has a lot more availability. I would love to use the pool more, it just never seemed very convenient for our family. I enjoy lap swimming but I'm not going to pay my fitness center monthly and then pay a pool membership on top of it. To be quite honest it would be nice to drop my kids at the shallow end with their instructors while I do some laps on the other side, but I don't think that is when lap swimming was available. People are just too busy these days and there needs to be a creative way to get more use out of it. The current programs/scheduling didn’t seem to interest us. Also my kids go to Olmsted and would have been able to go to the morning session where they are walked back to Adventuretime, but with Olmsted being closed for the next 2 years (and no summer Adventuretime this year) – had to find a different option. My kids grew up using the Urbandale pool. Makes me sad to see it closed. My older kids and I enjoy coming in the winter mornings for lap swim. Helps us change up our workout routine. We will miss it if it’s closed. My pool usage answers reflect my family's usage. Whether we'd be able to participate in partnerships with other pools depends on the program. My kids are too big/old/experienced to benefit from goldfish's programs which I perceive as geared to younger elementary age and younger. A discount to clive aquatic center would be nice but I would like to see a priority on options that are available year- round. Our experience with YMCA is their aquatic programs are already full to bursting with people wanting to sign up and hard to get in without a ymca membership. I'm sad that losing Urbandale's public pool means losing a high quality learn to swim program with experienced top notch instructors. It's absolutely one of the best parts of Urbandale. My son is at the age where we thought we'd start swimming lessons and we live VERY close to the Urbandale Public Swimming school. We would prefer to do them there since it is close and convenient, but we would be open to discounted rates elsewhere if that could be arranged and is the safest option. My son loves this pool! He would be heartbroken if it closed. It’s nice that it is available during the cold months. My suggestion is that if the pool would close then the plans for a new pool need to be expedited. Having a pool/ aquatic center is an extremely important amenity for the city to provide. My view is to keep pools open My wife and I drive from Winterset, Iowa everyday to swim laps in the Urbandale pool. While in Urbandale we buy groceries, gas, lunch, etc. We are seniors and use the pool all year long to get a good low impact workout. The news of the permanent closing of pool has devastated many of the seniors in your community that rely on this pool to maintain their health. Need an outdoor pool

Page 22 of 41 No interest in other options available. Location is a key issue. This is also just a pool, vs all of the busyness of a gym, Y or a hotel I am not looking for a water park, a gym or little kid swim lessons. It is also available to the school for kids to have PE learning & seniors. But truly our city does not need another water park it needs a pool a unique environment. The pandemic should have anything to do with this decision. Plus with Olmsted opening again in a year this Is ideal for summer programs affiliated with the district held typically at Olmsted. Yes improvements need to be made but investing in something for the entire community vs just for a small population that can only be used from June-Aug is much more financially sound. Now that the pool is closed permanently, will we have a chance to vote on a bond to proceed with the planned new aquatic center in walnut hills by the new fire station on Meredith? Or is that no longer an option? Of course, I’d rather the pool stay open. It’s the only place in town that doesn’t have an incredibly high membership fee and more than just a few lanes to lap swim. It also has indoor lap swimming which can’t be said for all but one of the options Urbandale is asking residents to utilize if they close the pool. I’d be cautiously open to the option of lap swimming in other pools but am also afraid the discount will only be effective for a few years to soften the blow. One of the reasons I like the Urbandale Public Pool is because it's easy to get into, the location is convenient, and it's a hidden gem in the community. I feel like the times and spaces at the other community pools are harder to get into. Plus I like at the Urbandale Pool you can just pay to get in and use the pool without having a membership. Operating costs seem too high. Our children took swimming lessons at the Urbandale pool when they were younger. In recent years we have gone for open swim and lap swim. The pool is close to our home, so it is convenient, driving to Clive or elsewhere is a deterrent. It seems like having a pool by the High School/Middle School so swimming can be part of the PE curriculum is a good idea, why close the pool permanently? The ability to swim or be safe around water is a life skill all children should have, swimming lessons should be taught in PE class at school, keep the pool open. Our communities need more pool options, closing the pool would hinder that. Our community NEEDS a public pool as a benefit to all residents of Urbandale. The pool being a year round facility is if great value. It's the only option in the area that doesn't require a membership. Our kids need affordable swim lessons (yr round). Older adults need a close location for water exercise. Kids/adults need a convenient location for fitness. Our community needs to embrace this city amenity. We need an indoir option for year round fitness opportunities. Yes it costs money...pool never make money but provides value to a community! Thank you for you consideration. Our community needs a swimming pool. There are ways that pool Can be opened and monitored so people can use it. Apartment complexes have opened their swimming pools and have extra precautions put in place. You need to do this with our community pool. Our pool is unique and i would hate to see it be abandoned. Maybe it needs better Managenent to draw in the crowds especially from different suburbs especially during the summer The swim teams need it during school Our swim team struggles to attain and maintain adequate pool space to meet our needs. Losing the Urbandale Pool would have a huge negative impact. Our team needs this pool. Urbandale and Waukee are thriving communities that are growing at a very quick rate. With competitive swimming growing in popularity because of studies showing the health lifestyle and minimal trauma caused to body in comparison to other sports like football. The availability of pool water is scarce given our population size. It is not fair and not right that these kids should have to chose sports based on availability of training areas. In comparison there are many soccer and baseball

Page 23 of 41 fields.

Being a college athlete myself, I love the core behavioral training swimming gives along with competitive and team oriented skills. Please continue to support us with facility staying open.

Call anytime to discuss 319-400-0202 Per your signage at the walking trail at 156th. Build the pool as outlined near 156th and Meredith. please build the outdoor pool near the new fire station that was promised years ago. I greatly dislike indoor pools during the summer. Your residents deserve better. Even dallas center even has an outdoor pool. Please do not close it. We love our Urbandale pool and the staff Please do not close our pool! It's a wonderful city resource that I would really hate to lose. Please do not close the pool!! Please do not close the pool. I have been a resident of Urbandale since 1977. When I retired I needed to find a form or exercise. I am over weight, have had both knees replaced and now have degenerative disk disease/arthritis. Water is my only exercise hope. I will be starting my 5th year. Not only does it help me physically but mentally. There are no judgements made and we encourage each other. Denise our instructor is so awesome to all of us. I am not interested in going elsewhere unless aerobics is twice weekly for $50 a month. I am a retiree on a fixed income. Please reconsider closing my pool. Thank you. Janice Please do not close the Urbandale pool Please do not close the Urbandale pool. We have gone there for swim lessons for years and appreciate the instructors, quality of instruction, low cost and convenience. Please don’t close the pool Please don't close the pool. This is such a great option for indoor swimming, especially for winter birthdays. Please keep open. There are very few water spaces available in the Johnston/Urbandale area. Please keep the pool open it is such an affordable option. Please keep the pool open! Please vote NO to permanent closure of the pool. I am a senior citizen that has been attending senior water aerobic classes every month for the last 5 years. I love water exercise and interaction with others for good physical/mental health. I also have an annual pass to use on the days I do not have a class. Our instructor is excellent, encouraging, adaptable, helps us learn to exercise correctly, and how to modify the moves if we need to, and how to change the moves to make it more challenging. My husband also has been using the pool for more than 10 years to lap swim.

I cannot see myself using the downtown YMCA pool. It isn't very convenient to drive downtown, park in a ramp and walk to the pool. Clive does not have an indoor pool(?) I am familiar with the Clive aquatic center and have used it to supplement my classes at the Urbandale pool during the summer to walk the lazy river but this facility isn't open year round.

The pool is an important part of our community. Please do not close it! Pool space is lacking in Des Moines with lots of talented youth swimmers on clubs looking for pool space. The yMca has what they need but the other clubs suffer. Please keep it open Pool space is valuable in the greater DSM area. High use hours make it near impossible to teach kids how to swim. Swimming a huge reason why kids drown in Iowa and I would like to see our community value this activity more.Thanks!

Page 24 of 41 Prefer the existing indoor pool for year-round use instead of another outdoor aquatics center in the area. Procured with partnering with existing facilities Public swimming pools are a complete waste of money. None of them in the metro area are able to sustain their operations without government subsidy. I think Urbandale needs to get out of the aquatics business and stay out permanently. There are plenty of other pools in the metro area that people can use - let other cities subsidize the few people from Urbandale that actually want to use a pool. raise property taxes .. coat of pool entry ... keep it open Rather than a subsidy, how about using those dollars saved towards a long term aquatic solution for Urbandale. Use the savings as an investment or seed capital in a new facility. Rec center and pool similar to West Des Moines Regarding question 3, I'm unlikely to use aquatic venue no matter where it is but I want availability for those in Urbandale who do want it. Seniors need a pool nearby for exercise classes and lap swimming, with times dedicated to seniors only. Water exercise is the BEST on aging joints & with the Baby Boomer generation coming of age, there are greater needs than ever. Needs to be affordable and nearby. Dedicate this pool for swim team & seniors only for the remainder of its life. Something for the whole family to enjoy, from ages 0 and up Sorry to see it closed, would not want to drive downtown to swim, we liked the community location. Swim clubs need rental space! Swim lessons at the pool were sometimes hard to schedule but I loved the idea of winter lessons. We love the Clive aquatic center (lived in Clive until last year) so a partnership for pool passes would be great. My concern about losing the pool is that I know the schools use it for aquatic programs. Would the school have to opportunity to take it over? Swim lessons for my kids would be my top reason; still hoping for an aquatic center west of the interstate Swim times are very limited already at the y due to waukee swim teams using the same facilities, during no school/non working hours. This leaves a limitation of options without additional pool resources available. Swimming is a life skill that everyone should be required to learn to save their lives. I would hate to see another swimming pool in the river city of Des Moines close when this has been an excellent affordable pool for people in the city to utilize for all the programs listed above plus making money by renting the pool for swim team practices and families for their personal celebrations. If a pool should close, please take into consideration there are other pools in worse condition around the city that could be closed due to operating costs than this one which appears to be in excellent condition yet and can still be utilized by the community by many. Keeping this pool operating will benefit many in our Des Moines communities and possibly save someone life by learning how to swim and maintaining self health right now which is greatly beneficial. We appreciate your consideration in keeping it open. Thank you! Swimming lessons are so vital and such a life saving skill to have. Having something offered is better than nothing. If we were to have a partnership would our information be shared so they would know what level to begin our child on? Will prices be comparable? Is there an opportunity to open/budget for an additional outdoor Urbandale Aquatic Center in the future or add on to the outdoor to the existing indoor pool? I would have to see the Urbandale community lose money due to the virus so going forward there needs to be something in place to not just fix with a band-aid but become a true Option B. Outdoor air circulation would be more beneficial than indoor at this moment. Also, if urbandale cant hold classes why should another organization? Thanks for your work on this!

Page 25 of 41 The 28E agreement doesn’t expire until 2026 so why does pool need to be closed until the City has other options. Just promoting the classes on Parks and Rec think outside the box to promote and be very cost effective. Maybe less open swim hours to save dollars. The pool provides exercise for many ages, swim lessons and cardio classes. We don’t need another water park which are open only 3 months a year. I’m very disappointed there was no discussion with all the patrons of the pool. There has to be a solution other than closing immediately! The bring this up every so often. Urbandale needs a pool & even an aquatic center. I'd be fine if you move it out west & maybe partner with Grimes. The cdc publicly stated they Covid cannot be spread thorough water. The City of Urbandale has drug their feet long enough on building a new public pool for the residents of Urbandale. The people asked for one before the last set of "upgrades/improvements" to the old pool. Way past due for a public pool for Urbandale! The city of Urbandale needs to look at options for a new aquatic center within the city limits. That seems like a long ways to travel to do swim programs. I think the ideas are good ones, however, I would like to see Urbandale have their own aquatic center of some sort. The Clive aquatics center is the only one I am aware of. I don't know whether they have an indoor facility or not. I support rebuilding an indoor facility that allows use all days of the year, not just the limited summer dates. The Clive pool is already too busy. We have been turned away even when we had a membership there.

We built our house on the Walnut Creek Regional Park with the understanding there were plans for an aquatic center here. The current location and hours for lap and senior swim are ideal for Urbandale residents. The decision to transfer to another facility would greatly depend on the cost and distance. Having a facility in Urbandale (especially it's present location) makes it more accessible. I would think that the City would put some value in a facility that provides probably the best exercise out there. Considering all the health warnings that people are not exercising enough, you would think the City would want to promote this. Having an indoor pool would get more use year round instead of lets say a water park that at best is only used for 3 months. Making a multi-use facility with exercise equipment would be also enhance the attraction. The hours are often so limited that I do not use the pool. I would rather have a choice of hours at the Y, or use other outdoor facilities The indoor pool itself is not a luxury. The environment is cramped and it is dark. It would be nice for Urbandale to invest money in splash parks or spray parks or splash pools like our neighboring communities have. Given our current situation with the Covid pandemic, it seems more outdoor options are needed. The location of the Urbandale Community Pool is ideal for students and the surrounding areas. UMS and UHS are able to hold swim units due to the closeness of the pool. The many residents in the area appreciate the closeness of the pool, myself included. It’s not far from home, and is never crowded to the point of being uncomfortable for the people present. The options provided for alternatives are not very viable for consistent use. Any YMCA is too far away for regular use, and Clive is only viable for in the summer. The pool had a good, long life and thanks to the city for keeping it going past its lifespan. Since residents haven't approved replacing the facility in past elections and since the cost of upkeep is so great and since the uncertainties of reopening it in an age of COVID-19 are also so great, I agree this is the time to close it. It would be great to have a subsidy program for residents to use outside aquatics centers, especially if that cost is less than what the city was paying to maintain the old pool.

Page 26 of 41 The pool has been a good addition for Urbandale. However, age of the pool and lack of interest with youth using leads me to support closing and then start planning for the future. The pool has been a part of the community for a very long time.It's all the city has to offer,and will probably not be replaced for a very long time. The pool has been pivotal in my learning to swim and improved fitness. It would be a huge loss to the community The pool is a great, small, comfortable facility with great staff and indoor accommodations. I only found out about the adult classes last year and couldn't be more pleased. After sustaining multiple critical injuries in a MVA, this has been the best therapy and exercise I have been able to do - and year-round. I have missed the classes the last few months. I am doubtful I would go to a "Y". Thank you for your consideration. The pool is accessible in terms of parking, a small facility excellent for lessons & something we have missed during COVID. We live close to the city border with URBANDALE. The pool is centrally locates in Urbandale and allows all residents to share. It would be a huge mistake to relocate out west. Aren’t there a few more pressing issues where our tax dollars could be spent? The pool is close, driving to another town for that is not time or cost effective. The pool is essential for urbandale. This gives kids opportunities to receive swim lessons in the winter months and have a place for parties and school children for the swim unit in PE which wouldn’t be available if this were to close The pool is one of the few things Urbandale has over all other towns. Closing it down should be a last resort. Too many kids and adults use the facilities. The pool is so important to the schools and the senior center. We have many friends who use the pool for exercise. Our children and grandchildren use the pool. It's sad to see it close. It is very convenient being in the center of town. An outdoor water park outside is only going to be used in summer. We would support finances for the city to repair/update/maintain the current pool. The pool is valuable to the community and my family would like it to stay open. The pool is very conveniently located and I would be more willing to support a local public pool than a large organization like YMCA etc. The pool is walking distance from my home, I love the convenience of that. I’ve been taking classes in it over 10 years. My youngest daughter worked there in high school as a guard and pool manager. It is a hidden gem that needs to be marketed. The city doesn’t market it, shame for not doing so. Great instructors. They love what they do. LeeAnn is determined to attract the 20-30 somethings. It’s not a pool for that demographic. They are better for Lifetime.

Remember the older clientele and your families. Learn to swim program is essential.

LeeAnn is sometimes challenging to those who work there. She can be just rude and I know for a fact as turned people away from classes they signed up for and not because the class was full. Maybe think about replacing her. The pool provides the opportunity for ALL students to receive swim lessons and water safety through the physical education curriculum. It is in a centralized location which makes it highly convenient for schools to transport students without losing valuable instruction time. It is one of the few, if not only, indoor pool around the metro which makes it convenient to be utilized in the winter months. Closing the pool would be a loss to the residents and especially the children of Urbandale. the pool should stay open

Page 27 of 41 The question above is very hard to answer without more information. It would seem if you added several more people to another aquatic program you will be creating the same dilemma with Covid & reducing class participants. Even if it is affordable there will still likely not be enough class availability. I’ve very much appreciated Denise Best’ knowledge and her commitment to the participants taking her classes. I find it very disappointing to learn now, mid-July, that the pool is probably closing permanently instead of temporarily. I understand about the costs of maintenance & age of pool. But it’s a shame to close it & take away this wonderful, affordable, centrally located exercise options. I’m in deep water aerobic classes with several faithful older women. I feel bad for them to lose this option. It seems since I’m just learning of the pool situation at this late date- even though my email is on file with prior class registrations, this hearing meeting is more of a formality. The subsidy to participate elsewhere does not appeal to me, as I already pay to have my child attend swim lessons elsewhere. What I would like to see in our community is a public pool/aquatic center in urbandale with both and indoor and outdoor pool, splash pad, etc., and/or more public splash pad options. I’ve always felt this was something that the city of Urbandale was really missing. The subsidy would not change my willingness to participate in aquatic programs at alternative locations. For a town the size of Urbandale it is a bit crazy that we do not have a nice pool facility. The swim lessons have worked well for us: multiple levels at the same time so kids in a family can have lessons together, convenience of Urbandale pool’s location for us as residents, easy access in and out, not a huge facility with a check in process so arrival is simple. The swimming community needs more pool space. While partnering sounds like a great idea, it cost residents of urbandale and surrounding communities valuable pool space and time in these pools. Other pools will become crowded and over run with all the programming. Build a new pool!!! You will have the support!! The time might have finally arrived that a decision other than kicking the can down the road again be made and move forward. Costs are not decreasing. There doesn’t seem to be nearby Y so not sure as to why that is considered an option. And the Y seems to be retreating from existing agreements. Johnston now has a school pool?/has that been explored? Clive pool is closer that any Y. Thank you! The Urbandale pool gives. Affordable options for both open swim, Swim Lessons and aquatic exercise classes. With the closure of this pool. It would limit the access to all people for health/fitness and fun. Well as a former employee of the pool, I understand there are a lot of updates need to edit and the cost of running the pool is becoming more and more unattainable. Please strongly consider finding a way to keep this facility open. My mother who is now in her mid-60s has found community year in the aquatics class is held at the pool. She has greatly missed them during this time and it would be a hard for her to go elsewhere for classes due to distance. She currently lives across the street from the pool it’s very convenient and affordable for her The Urbandale Pool has served as a vital meeting place for people of all ages and backgrounds in our community. It serves as a convenient, accessible, and affordable option to maintain physical and mental well-being year-round. Through these unprecedented times, it is important to ensure our community members still have this accessibility. The pool has also helped my immigrant family make valuable connections and friendships with our neighbors. The pool has opened doors for me as a child on the Sharks swim team, and for my father who found a place of belonging in his new community several decades ago and maintains those friendships during lap swim today. Although it is thoughtful to offer us reduced costs at other recreational facilities in the Des Moines-area, closing our pool eliminates these community-building opportunities. Other pools require longer drives, higher costs, and are sometimes overcrowded. Our pool is built by community and that speaks louder than profit margins.

Page 28 of 41 The Urbandale Pool is 5 min from my house, making it very convenient. Water aerobics is my thing and I participate year round. I tried the YMCA pool but found it unfriendly and too far. As I understand it, Clive is outdoor only, though I do like the lazy river. My preference would be that Urbandale build a new indoor water facility. The urbandale pool is a convenient and cost effective means for lap swimming. YMCA memberships are much costlier. Also, when is the aquatic center on Meredith (near the new fire station) going to get going? The Urbandale Pool is a critical piece of CIA's ability to have club swim team. I'm sure we could increase our presence and funding of the Urbandale Pool if given the necessary pool time. The Urbandale Pool is a great asset to the people of the City and surrounding area. It would be a shame if it were to close. The Urbandale pool is a great asset to the schools and to the community. The Urbandale Pool is great, dont kill it just yet. The Urbandale Pool is indoors which allows for swimming all year. The competitors are only open a few months out of the year. Urbandale School’s partnership provides swimming instructions to students that wouldn’t otherwise receive lessons. Additionally, the classes provided are more affordable. The Urbandale pool is unique in the area for indoor year-round swimming and it would be a shame to lose that. The Urbandale pool is used by many, especially seniors for lap swim and children for lessons. As it stands now it isn’t always possible to sign up for swim lessons as the classes are full. If the pool was combined with another entity it would become even more difficult. The Urbandale pool provides comfortable, scaled surroundings that offer very personalized and individual treatment during all activities. I have visited the pool and least twice a week for two years and have been amazed at the variety of patrons of every age I see there. Moms with toddlers, teenagers, lap-swimmers, seniors keeping happy and healthy with water aerobics, folks rehabilitating from injuries or surgeries are all easily accommodated in this environment. There is no way that this kind of service and feeling of community can be replicated elsewhere. I would be more than glad to pay more to keep this facility. The Urbandale Pool was a lifesaver several years ago when we were struggling financially and it was one of the recreation opportunities we could afford for our family. Private swimming lessons are prohibitively expensive elsewhere for some families. It was also where I rehabbed my ACL injury by water jogging and lap swimming. Then trained for a triathlon. I looked at goldfish swim school. Even now that we are successful financially, goldfish prices are outrageous. As a former pool manager and lifeguard, I also know that community pools always cost money. They are expensive to maintain and expensive to staff. I'd be interested in a community fundraising event to keep the pool and help clean it up and increase awareness about the activities it provides the community. I don't think goldfish swim school will make it beyond 3 years and they will close. That leaves the already full YMCA swimming lesson schedule as the only opportunity for lifesaving swimming lessons for children. The Urbandale school district will be the only school in the metropolitan area without a pool to use for school programs and swim team. Currently our swim team is combined with Johnston. (has for several years) there has been a significant drop off in participation from Urbandale students joining the Johnston swim team. Not having a community indoor pool for your citizens to use year round is a major gap in recreational services. The swim school option on 86 street does not provide a pool with yards needed for competitive or lap swim yards. The Urbandale swimming pool is great for our community. We used it a lot when our 3 children were small, learning to swim & just for fun. It was also close by & as they got older they could walk or bike up to the pool. I think it is a shame to close it.

Page 29 of 41 The whole family loves the urbandale pool. Please keep it open The YMCA already has several groups seeking to use their facilities, and their time offerings would be inconvenient. The YMCA is already cheap enough and have too many people. Your pool is cleaner. And the depth and size is perfect for children . The YMCA is always crowded and the clive aquatic center is only open during the summer. Because Clive is open, if there is the threat of a storm the aquatic center can be shut down at any time. The YMCA pools are fine but location is not convenient. Is Goldfish Swim only for those learning to swim or do they offer lap swim? The YMCA struggles to run their own aquatics programs and keep pools open due to finances and repair / upkeep issues. Where does the Y have pools besides downtown and Waukee? These options do not appear to be convenient for Urbandale residents. To my knowledge, Clive only has a “summer” pool so what are residents and swim teams to do in the winter months? Urbandale is spending a lot of money on “ramps” to allow greater access to Urbandale for businesses and industry, which should generate additional tax revenue but we cannot afford to maintain a pool ? There are many other swim options close to our home for us to swim & swim take lessons from. We love how close the Urbandale Pool is & it’s amazing staff. I’m sadden for it to close, but Urbandale desperately needs a new pool. It’s time to close, Covid aside. There are not a lot of pool options in the Des Moines metro, especially in the Johnston/Urbandale area. Having to go further from home and compete for pool time with more groups just means less opportunities for people There are not a lot of pool options in the Des Moines metro, especially in the Johnston/Urbandale area. Having to go further from home and compete for pool time with more groups just means less opportunities for people There are not a lot of pool options in the Des Moines metro, especially in the Johnston/Urbandale area. Having to go further from home and compete for pool time with more groups just means less opportunities for people There are not many pool options for families and people of the community to swim. Swim lessons are taught there, swim teams utilize it, it’s a fun open swim time for kids to spend their energy, and lap swimmers stay healthy. There are not many pools year round to utilize we go at least 3 times a month and do swimming lessons year round. There is a great rec center pool model at Apex (Arvada,CO), it has several things for kids and adults to do and the cost for residential usage is similar to Urbandale. It would be great if Urbandale could recreate that model so that the facilities can accommodate more people. It would be sad to loose and activity that can be done over our long winters.

Page 30 of 41 There is a tremendous demand for pool access for multiple types of programs in Urbandale and surrounding communities. A well designed pool facility can meet the needs of various stakeholders and provide opportunities for citizens to learn water safety, exercise, and compete as well as a imply have fun at the pool. The community education opportunities a pool provides are huge. There are multiple Local competitive swim clubs who would be eager to form partnerships with the city in the development and use of a pool. These clubs could also expand programming to be involved with lessons, and water safety. The clubs pay significant rental fees to pools throughout the area, to offset operational costs and there is high demand for pool time and not enough pools to meet the demand. There is certainly up front construction cost and ongoing operational cost, but this can be offset with with a well designed partnership with a swim club. Also, interest rates are very low for financing projects like this. Now is the time. I’d suggest getting input from Des Moines Swimming Federation, and Central Iowa Aquatics who can access USA Swimming’s Facility Development department which partners with affiliated USA Swimming Clubs and their local communities to plan and design facilities around specific programming meeting community needs. As a long time swimmer in central Iowa, and now an Urbandale resident, I am surprised at how little access to pools there is in the northwest suburbs. Urbandale, Johnston, Waukee, and Grimes are all lacking a pool facility with amenities to attract wellness programs, lessons, recreational programs, and competition, but which is not associated with the Y or school district. I do not think a subsidy program to push residents to other pools is sufficient. The schools and Y are great, but recently they have been closing pools, creating a squeeze for pool time and space for all kinds of programs in the metro. Urbandale can take a different course. It is hard for me to believe that there is no public aquatics facility in Urbandale or Waukee. Communities like this need amenities like pools to maintain a high quality of life and attract residents to live and work in the community. I am willing to meet with the parks department, and am willing to provide input on behalf of Des Moines Swimming Federation, and the Urbandale community on this project. Public/private partnerships have worked in other communities and can work here. Please reach out to me.

Jeff Fisher 15103 Prairie Avenue Urbandale, IA 50323 There is nothing close. I have lost more weight using your pool facility than any gym because it is convenient and the pool is a great temp! Please don’t close! There simply isn't enough water in the Des Moines metro. COVID-19 has really demonstrated this fact - kids can't swim, learn to swim, practice swimming, etc. Urbandale is a nice pool that serves so many needs in our community. The location is also very helpful!!

Page 31 of 41 This is a clear indication of the council disregarding Urbandale Residents and trying to sneak something through without any thought or complete disregard of public opinion. You didn't have a hard tiTme approving recently a $366K bid for a parking lot, but how dare we spend anything financially on an outdated aquatic center. Using COVID as an excuse and a way out is even more than ridiculous. All aquatic centers are struggling with it. But using it as an opportunity to try and shut it down permanently is definitely wrong.I'm all for exploring options - but until you actually do so, then closing it down permanently is not the right route to go. Your examples above:City of Clive Aquatic - currently closed so not a viable option at the moment. And its outdoors. Goldfish Swim School - only offers swim lessons. And whoever thought this was a viable option didn't do any due diligence in looking at pricing. Lowest option is $90/month for a 30min once a week class. You're joking right? I'm pretty sure a personal trainers for adults are less expensive than that. So your "subsidy" probably wouldn't work here. YMCA - They don't offer aquatic only options outside of swim lessons. This could be a viable option in that regard, but currently those classes aren't being offered with COVID. This doesn't work for anything outside of lessons because you would have to purchase a full membership. Currently you have to reserve lap lanes at the YMCA during allotted times - and most of those fill up with the same people every day.All I'm saying is that yes there are plenty of "temporary" options available. But not really because of COVID. I honestly think the residents would be more apt to allowing the pool to shut down permanently if there was a future plan in place. Not a "hey we've thrown around some ideas for the future" - but a solid idea/plan.Whether that's a complete state of the art Urbandale Rec Center at a centralized location or something just to replace the pool aspect. It may be difficult to do that quickly, but that's why shutting down permanently has raised so many questions. Thank you for whoever takes the time to read this. This is a great place for birthday parties and kids with anxiety of the large pools, people, noises, etc... The splash pad is also wonderful for littles and people with special needs This is a great pool and my kids love it. Leave it open! This is an amazing part of our community! Close to the schools and senior center! Why not see if people would be willing to chip in for costs if too high ? This is just the right facilty for senior citizens. This is my second time taking the survey so that I can add another comment. I've looked up the monthly rates at other facilities that have a pool offering. Given those prices, I would pay triple your current annual pass price for an annual pass. Given the dedication/regularity of your members and the limited fitness center availabilities in the metro, I wonder if demand for the Urbandale pool is high. Might it be feasible to continue operating the pool with higher fees to match this potential high demand despite potentially fewer patrons? Thanks for your consideration of this comment. This is the only open swimming pool during the winter without needing to be part of a health club. I use it for winter exercise and closing it for good will be a lose for lots of residence on the older end that need this low impact exercise. There are already several area water parks, if this closes, you will take away water alternatives for those that don't use water slides. This is very sad news! I love the convenience of having a pool close our neighborhood and will miss that greatly. I would love to see something similar in the area/ close by. These amenities are what make Urbandale so great and feel like a smaller community within our larger community. I know several youth that have benefited from working at the pool; a great prosocial activity to keep the kids of our community out of trouble and contributing to our community. This pool has been great for older residents in the east end of URBANDALE, close to schools, used for Adventuretime and some summer camps, should be used for URBANDALE Schools PE classes and swim team. This pool has been great for older residents in the east end of URBANDALE, close to schools, used for

Page 32 of 41 Adventuretime and some summer camps, should be used for URBANDALE Schools PE classes and swim team. This pool is a great resource for all in the community!!! Please consider offering more hours for rental income (central Iowa aquatics) Those entities are already crowded places. We actually looked at joining the Y, but the times are not conducive and it’s packed. Those places create transportation issues, particularly for those who can’t drive (kids). Part of what we enjoy about Urbandale on the whole is that indoor options are available here. Our pool is an asset for seniors and school aged kids alike. I’m fairly pragmatic, but I do think it would be a shame to lose the pool particularly without a solid replacement plan developed. to be fair we didn’t utilize the pool due to it being an indoor pool. Not as enjoyable. We pay to use the UGCC pool.

If we had an outdoor pool similar to other metro communities, we would use it all the time. To help residents spend their money in the city where they pay taxes would be the best. Many people go to other communities pools (before COVID) and pay to use their facilities. Unless the subsidy would reduce the cost to match existing costs, I'd most likely participate less in programs. Clive is too far out and typically crowded. Ultimately, having a community pool that is centralized or accessible to those without personal transportation would be ideal. As my kids grow, it'd be great to have them be able to bike to the pool. Urbanadle claims to be unique... The indoor pool is and always has been that. Unique! I hope to see it remain.... Urbandale is a large enough community to have a public swimming pool. I also worry about the schools having an opportunity to teach swimming programs if the pool was to remain closed. We need to look at options of having both an indoor and outdoor community swimming pool. Urbandale needs a community pool. I prefer outdoor pools, but I do not support permanent closure of the Urbandale pool until there is an adequate replacement that serves adults and children. Why would citizens have any more faith in a community partnership with the YMCA, City of Clive, etc., if Urbandale abandons a community partner like the Urbandale School District? Covid-19 won't last forever, but the decision to close the pool could last forever. This would be a great time to work on community infrastructure -- like an aquatic center or renovation of the current pool under a 28E agreement using city funds and the school district's PPEL. Urbandale needs a pool! It is convenient and allows us to swim year round. The City of Urbandale/Johnston does not have any aquatic options besides this pool. Very sad they want to close! Urbandale needs an aquatic center built similar to WDM (3), Ankeny, and Adel. An indoor our outdoor pool would be nice, especially out west where there are no pools to speak of. Urbandale needs an aquatic center like Clive. When we moved to western Urbandale we were told there would be land used for an aquatic center. Clive charges so much money for their passes to non residents. Urbandale could easily do this too since we are so close to Waukee. Urbandale needs an aquatic center of its own. As much as we pay in property taxes we should have an outdoor place to take children of all ages to open swim, lessons, etc. Not all kids like to go to wading pools or splash pads. Urbandale needs its own indoor pool. The time during this closure should have been used for any needed repairs and updates. I am extremely disappointed in your decision. Urbandale needs to have an option for swimming. Urbandale needs to move forward with its planned aquatic center.

Page 33 of 41 Urbandale needs to stop relying on other communities and step up to the plate and have their own facilities. The city needs its own aquatic center! Urbandale pool is a better facility than the Hoover High School pool, currently were the older kids practice for CIA. If a CIA practice is for a short period of time it is easier and faster to go to the Urbandale pool vs going to the Downtown Y or to the Clive pool. Urbandale pool is a critical part of the CIA swim club training options. We used it multiple times a week pre-COVID and would anticipate using it at least that frequently if available for partnerships with organizations like CIA in the future. Urbandale pool is the only indoor public pool in the Des Moines area. It would be a great disservice to our community to close it with no plans of a replacement facility. Urbandale pool is too small. Urbandale pool provides year around opportunities that are much needed. Please keep that in minds as you consider the future of the pool. The need is there for the pool. Don't let it go. You will regret it if you do. Urbandale should build an outdoor aquatic center like clive, wdsm, ankeny and most of the surrounding areas. Urbandale should have an aquatic center like surrounding communities or pay the resident rate for use of Clive/West Des Moines aquatic centers. Urbandale should look into opening it’s own outdoor pool or work with clive to include Urbandale residents in the same discounts as clive residents Urbandale should look into the possibilty of having un-manned spray grounds similar to what the City of Des Moines has. Then a lifeguard staff would not be needed and hours could be more expansive (as opposed to the 1-4 time the Lions wading pool is open). These free options could benefit all residents, not just those with extra income. Possible locations could be the Dunlap Arboretum or Walker Johnston Park. Urbandale swimming pool provided a convenient option for swim lessons. Other options are more costly and or less convenient. Current pool served a need and I wish Urbandale had aquatic options before closing the facility. Urbandale’s indoor pool is greatly needed for people who cannot do any other form of exercise. Since it’s indoor, it can make money all year, not just a few summer months. It’s hard to get swim time at the YMCA’s because the swim teams and lessons dominate most of the time. Urbandale’s pool has been convenient for me, especially as I approached the age of retirement. I’ve been able to swim at least 3 times each week and have enjoyed the water temperature, lap swims, friendly staff and local atmosphere. I am healthy as a result and wish to continue the low-impact regime swimming offers, plus I have 3 grandchildren, all of whom I intended to enroll in swim class. I don’t see myself traveling to swim for an hour at a great distance. I don’t understand why there isn’t money to refurbish the pool annually. Swimming is a staple for both children’s and adults alike! Other communities certainly offer a basic pool to residents and I would hope that Urbandale would support an Urbandale pool for its residents. Why support a pool outside of our community? And why is something as good and healthy AND A NECESSARY SKILL like swimming so readily dismissed and disregarded as essential need? Understanding how to swim saves lives and offers an enjoyable experience an entire family can both appreciate and benefit from. Very happy to swim at Urbbandale. Hope the pool reopens! Currently swimming at Life Time Athl. which is excellent, but expensive. Water park built behind the new Urbandale Fire Department We are CIA members. Bc of the lack of community pools we really need the pools that are around to be open. Also I just feel that it is important for pools in the community to be open and accessible to young

Page 34 of 41 kids for lessons. Saving lives should be priority rather than budget. Money can be found. We are YMCA members already but would have used an Urbandale community aquatic center if it was nearer to our NW Urbandale location and if the cost was more reasonable. Since Urbandale does not currently have their own center then it makes sense to benefit residents with a subsidy with a current center like the YMCA. Our concern would be the adequacy of the Waukee YMCA to accommodate a growing number of new families for the long-term. Can the YMCA expand in its current location? We believe the urbandale pool is a community resource that families and kids can easily access. It is close enough for kids to walk or ride their bike to. It’s a short commute for families in the wintertime when recreation is desperately needed. And most importantly, it offers critical education services and recreational services for the community. In fact, I believe it should be expanded, to include water slides and a lazy river for outdoor summer time activities. We belong to Urbandale Country Club...it is just nice to have more options and an indoor place for winter swimming lessons and activities. We chose lessons at Urbandale pool over other options as the times and location better suited our needs. A subsidy to use the Y is not a great option as there is still increased cost and its not like the Y does not have financial issues of its own. The other public pools are summer only and open to the weather. Closing the pool would be a loss to the community We chose lessons at Urbandale pool over other options as the times and location better suited our needs. A subsidy to use the Y is not a great option as there is still increased cost and its not like the Y does not have financial issues of its own. The other public pools are summer only and open to the weather. Closing the pool would be a loss to the community We chose lessons at Urbandale pool over other options as the times and location better suited our needs. A subsidy to use the Y is not a great option as there is still increased cost and its not like the Y does not have financial issues of its own. The other public pools are summer only and open to the weather. Closing the pool would be a loss to the community We don’t use the pool on a regular basis, due to the outdated and uncomfortable atmosphere, but have used the pool occasionally for classes and special events. I understand closing it, but please plan for Urbandale to have a community swimming space. The wading pool at Lions Park isn’t an option for most as operating hours are during naptime and the age range is very restricting. We prefer outdoor swimming. I really wish there was an outdoor pool or water park in Urbandale. But more than anything, I’d love to see a community splash pad that our surrounding communities have made available for free. We leave Urbandale frequently In the past to visit other DSM area water play areas. I wish we could have that here. Maybe you could expand on the small splash area at the pool? We don't use the aquatic program kids are too old We use the aquatic to relax. We enjoy having a neighborhood pool and a pool that is available to us year round. It adds to the quality of life in this community. We found the Location, class offerings, and quality of the urbandale swim lessons to be superior to many other locations we tried. I would be disappointed if we had to go elsewhere. One major advantage is the indoor swimming lessons, as many other lessons are only offered during the summer when they can be outside. Having an indoor option allowed us to keep our kids engaged in lessons more regularly which significantly improved our kids skills. I strongly support keeping the urbandale pool open. Thanks for your considerations. We have been season pass holders for the last 3 years and went to the pool at least twice a week every week. We have taken swim lessons which has then led to swimming for competition teams in the area.

This would be a travesty to close as lots of families would be affected. We have done swim lessons at two different YMCAs and Urbandale Pool. The lessons at Urbandale pool

Page 35 of 41 are a million times better. I would be disappointed if lessons at the Urbandale pool are no longer available but I understand that the pool is a big expense. We have enjoyed using the facility for 8 years now, from our first tots swim class with Fran to our most recent lesson experience. My children look forward to summer and fall/winter lessons and open swim pool time. They enjoy the socialization and fun learning environment, while I enjoy the life saving skills they are taught. One of my children isn't what most people would consider a typical 8 year old boy. He is often terrified of being outside with an anxiety that cripples him. When he can manage his anxiety, he does not enjoy outdoor sports. Team sports are also difficult for him to participate in. This limits what recreational activities that he can participate in. It is because of his needs that we have really enjoyed the indoor pool as it provides him with an activity that he LOVES, doesn't require him to depend on other teammates or visa versa, and creates an anxiety free space for him to swim indoors. We had been looking forward to purchasing a family pass this summer. We have learned that social distancing policies, masks and proper Hand washing are acceptable. Our kids Need exercise, need us to be strong and My hope is you stay open. We have only lived here for 1 year but I have looked into swimming lessons for my children. Disappointed that there weren’t any this summer for sure. We have really enjoyed the atmosphere of the Urbandale lessons, and that has made the drive from Ankeny worth it. We feel it is very cost efficient, but would be willing to pay more due to the quality of lessons. It's an atmosphere you can't find at the Y or through swim schools. we have resided in urbandale for about 3 years now and both of kids love it! It would be sad to permanently shut down. I understand covid restrictions is completely hard to accommodate restrictions but other pools are open to public and it would be nice to open at least a few hrs during the weekend with a limited capacity at least. We have so enjoyed the Urbandale pool and especially the open swims. My children who are now in high school swim about 3-4 times in the winter, and also 3-4 times in the summer. They both took lessons at the pool when they were younger, and we often go with guests from out of town as a family. I would hate to see the pool closed for good. We have used the facilities for entertaining and training our grandchildren in water safety and swimming. We have also use the facility when we have had foreign exchange students who attendant Urbandale schools We have very much enjoyed the convenience of the pool over the past 10 plus years we have lived in Urbandale. The staff and offerings of the pool would be greatly missed and would be very disappointing. Please reconsider the decision and keep it open. We just moved to Urbandale last year and I was hoping to use the pool starting this summer for lap swimming before everything was shut down due to Covid-19. I would be less inclined to use other facilities due to cost and location. We just moved to Urbandale not long ago and are waiting to start using the indoor pool for swimming lessons and somewhere to go during the colder months. We are excited to have something so close to us that doesn’t require a membership to use. We like to go to the open swim sessions at the Urbandale Public Pool because it is very close to our house. If the pool were to remain closed and we needed to go somewhere else, we would likely just use the family pool since we’d have to travel by car to get there anyway. We live within a mile of the Urbandale pool. It has been so convenient for us. My preference would certainly be that we continue to have a pool here in Urbandale. We love the Urbandale indoor pool. It is really the only option outside of pricey health clubs for an indoor pool and use during fall, winter, spring months. My family uses it frequently. We would really like to keep it as an option as it gives our children an opportunity to engage with their peers in colder

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We love the Urbandale pool for lessons and open swim. We love using the Urbandale pool because it is much closer than other pools. Also we love it's indoors so we can use it all year long. We loved having an indoor pool option year round at a low cost. I also enjoyed being able to swim in the summer without worrying about sun burns. I agree it was pretty outdated and could use an update. I also understand why people choose other outdoor options. Many people like the water slides and lazy rivers. I don't think Urbandale needs another one of those. We loved taking swimming lessons through the Urbandale Pool. Lessons were always affordable and there were a variety of times available. My main concern would be that swimming lessons continue to be something that families can afford as I know prices at Goldfish can be pretty high in comparison. We loved the swimming lessons at urbandale ! We did not enjoy the Y and goldfish is too pricey! We want to stay with urbandale pool! We need a northwest Urbandale aquatic center. We need an indoor pool for all year exercise/fun so Clive is not suitable as well as a new aquatic center. I've been to the YMCA only a few times. The water was always cold, and it was expensive as I only wanted to swim an hour a day. I am not familiar with the swim school but if they have deep water space for exercise, I'm in. We need more outdoor splash parks and outdoor pools. The other locations mentioned are difficult to get into due to lessons closures in the winter. We need our own aquatic center!! Start this on the next election. It has been in the works for 15 years with no progress made. Of all the suburbs, urbandale is letting us down. I was born and raised here and have never left...maybe it’s time. We need something like Lifetime Fitness where there is indoor and outdoor pools with stands to hold swim team competition for Urbandalr students and to give Urbandale Residents and beyond something unique and where they would want to go without the price of Lifetime Fitness. We need the pool open for our community. Swim lessons and open swim are hard to find. Many swim teams are struggling to find pools with lap swim time too. This is a community resource that people of all ages can use. The schools also use the pool for gym classes and other sports. I have seen the track team, the wrestling team and even the national guard use our pool for training. Please keep it open! We need the pool! We need to do better for our residence. We should close the pool as it is not the best anyway but look at building one for our community We never used the Urbandale pool for programs as it didn’t fit our needs and wasn’t conveniently located for us in western Urbandale. Instead we chose the YMCA (Waukee) for infant/toddler swim lessons and then shifted to City of Clive swim lessons and pool passes at preschool and up. I would have love to have had rates for both reduced by being Urbandale citizens.

I am still hoping that Urbandale will continue to look at an aquatic facility in Walnut Creek regional park. The facilities and availability of programs in Western Urbandale is lacking which then has us choosing to participate in Waukee park and recreation programs. Although both Waukee and Urbandale lack aquatic facilities and programs. We personally are not letting our kids go to a pool with the covid situation going on. We do however think that Urbandale needs more splash type playgrounds that can accommodate all elementary aged kids...like age 12 down. Also a decent sized dog park. Urbandale needs a dog park. We live in Patricia park.

Page 37 of 41 We really enjoyed using the pool because it was within walking distance. I think Urbandale would benefit from an outdoor aquatic center like the one in Clive and leave the swim lessons up to the swim schools. We recently moved to Urbandale and were excited about the aquatic center and looking forward to using it. It would be a disappointment to see it go away. We use Clive centers because the kids enjoy the facilities that they have. However we are limited to a point because it is expensive for outside residents. I think the partnership would be great if we contributed to their facilities to make it more affordable for urbandale residents. However I think we (Urbandale) need to find a way to build a center so we can capture revenue as well so we are not just giving. Clive pretty much runs the game on summer recreational swimming in the area 4-5 months out of the year. what if we built an aquatic center that had a pool, slides, and toddler area that could open to the atmosphere in the summer but also in the winter could close up from the elements? we would have something no one else has in their neighborhood/suburb. It may seem far fetched but then again we would be unique! We use goldfish and ymca for both aquatic activities for child. Urbandale needs a bigger aquatic center in a more centralized location. Would be amazing for local economy and for residents not to travel to Ankeny or west dsm for outdoor summer swim. we use the outdoor clive pool all the time, we get passes each summer. We rarely use the indoor pool. Swimming is way better outside! We use the Urbandale pool all the time. It is needed in our community. The other pools are too far away from us. We need this pool for our children. We use the Urbandale pool because it’s close, affordable, and accessible year round. We prefer it to the flashy more expensive water park options. My kids are older now, but they all learned to swim via Urbandale pool. Even my now 90 year old mom took adult swimming lessons there! We need our pool. Put a capacity limit. Open the sliding glass doors. We use Urbandale Parks and Recreation's pool programs because of the affordability. We live in Johnston where there are far less "city recreation" options and love the Urbandale Indoor Pool. Especially the options for the youngest swimmers that are not offered at all in Johnston. The most likely partner suggested here we would use would be Goldfish Swim School because of our location. However I fear the price will not be low enough even with a partnership, and we would look at other places for lessons. we used the pool because it was convienient & inexpensive. I don't see those other places being the same. We used the pool for swim lessons 9 years ago but prefer an outdoor pool. We don’t care for the Clive pool because it is too congested. Would prefer another option in Urbandale. We used to use the pool for swim lessons, but with a pool in our neighborhood as well as a previous membership with Lifetime Fitness we have not visited in recent years. We would like an open swim option for winter time activities though that is close and not part of a membership. I'm not sure if that can be achieved through the other centers listed. We want the urbandale pool to stay open! It’s a life saver for my mom to do water exercises there. Please keep it open! We would appreciate access to a pool, like the YMCA, that has the option of a shallow end for smaller children We would hate for the pool to close! It is a great pool for lessons and the location is great! My family really enjoys swimming there all year long! We would love an outdoor aquatic center like Clive or West Des Moines or receive a discount on their membership fees. An outdoor pool for Urbandale would be great! But, a nice splashpad for bigger kids

Page 38 of 41 would be nice, too. We would love to see an aquatic center or outdoor pool in the Urbandale Community. We would love to see the pool remain open. Our grandchildren use the pool. And we know you want a new pool "out west" but it would be only summer usage. I think of the schools that use the pool and the senior citizens that use the pool. We would definitely support putting the money into updating/repairing the indoor pool. My children took lessons there years ago. I would hate to see it close and not be available for the "main" part of the city. We would prefer to keep the option of the public pool and would prefer not to pay for memberships to other programs, even with cost subsidies. We would really hate to see the pool close. Both of our kids have taken swim lessons there and we intended to take them again once the pool opens. We have also used the open swim and enjoy having that option in our community. Other options tend to be much more expensive so a subsidy would need to be substantial to make it comparable. We’d love a family friendly pool and aquatic area that is cost friendly as well. We have 4 kids and would love it! We’ve had a pool pass for years and use the pool year round. My kids take swimming lessons and also use the pool during PE. It would be a shame if the pool closed. It has been so convenient for all the urbandale schools to use it and educate all the kids in urbandale on water safety which is such an essential and important part of life and education. We've been annual season pass holders for a couple of years. Before COVID we visited almost weekly. We live in Des Moines and would greatly miss the indoor pool at Urbandale. What are the plans for an aquatic center in the Western part of Urbandale? I grew up using the Urbandale Swimming Pool. I’d like to see some type of a pool in Urbandale for the community and school district to use - for current and future generations! Thank you! What happened to the aquatic center Urbandale had promised to build at 152nd at Meredith???? What would happen to the PE classes for our UCS students? What are thoughts for use of land/building? When we moved here, I loved that the pool was so available and accessible to kids from all backgrounds. We came from a part of the country where kids don't get much access to pools unless their parents lived in an apartment building or HOA community that provides one, which restricted a significant number of kids from swimming activities (including ours at the time). I would hope to see that accessibility continue in Urbandale. When we moved to urbandale, we were told that there would be a pool near the location of the new fire station, which would have been used tremendously and would continue to, considering the growth in west urbandale. We would like to see this pool built for the kids in these neighborhoods. When we moved to urbandale, we were told that there would be a pool near the location of the new fire station, which would have been used tremendously and would continue to, considering the growth in west urbandale. We would like to see this pool built for the kids in these neighborhoods. When will you build the aquatic facility on 156th St? It's been on and off the CIP program for over 10 years and it's not built yet. Where will the middle schoolers do their swim classes? Will swimming just no longer be available to the students or UMS? Where will the swim team practice? The pool is nice to have but honestly we don't use it frequently. While a subsidy would be nice for now, it would be great if Urbandale would build a new pool/aquatic center that could be used by our community While I appreciate the effort to help out with a subsidy, it's pretty sad that a community the size of Urbandale, doesn't have an aquatic facility. I get that it's expensive, but it's fairly well known that their is

Page 39 of 41 a lack of aquatic facilities in the Des Moines metro area. If done right, a new aquatic center could serve multiple community groups and organizations. While I don't use it a city the size of Urbandale should and needs to have a pool facility. A partnership with the City of Waukee should be formed to fund and build a large aquatic center While I understand budgetary issues, I also know some other central Iowa communities appreciate the value a pool/rec center can have.

"The rec center has always operated at a loss, but the value of the facility as a public asset — what is sometimes termed its social value — has made it well worth supporting over the years, according to Perry residents and city officials." https://theperrynews.com/citys-excitement-builds-over-mcb-makeover-plans/ While I understand that the goal of the partnership is to provide pool access in the near future to residents of Urbandale and appreciate the steps taken, this is not a long term solution to the community needs as those pools (Clive especially when open) are already at capacity. Urbandale is growing and thriving and an outdoor community pool would be a great addition to what the city has to offer, and the fact that this was taken off the table in the past few years due to private pools (aka lifetime) is still a frustration. I would love to hear if there are any longer term plans for Urbandale to build their own facility While I would be likely to use another districts water facilities if given a discount if our pool was closed, I would still use Urbandale’s pool because of convenience and location if it remained open. It makes me sad to think of closing our pool. It gives Urbandale something to be proud of and another place that is unique to our city. Shutting down the pool and mitigating by going somewhere else doesn’t align with our community standards, support our community or students, or allow for activities that our schools have counted on, on a regular basis.

Please don’t close our pool! Offer more swim lessons and student opportunities. Advertise more, offer incentive programs, increase outdoor swim opportunities, generate excitement for reopening instead of sadness due to closing. While I would be sad to see this amenity hope, it’s not one my family has used much with the exception of swim lessons. I also know that ums uses the pool for a lengthy swim unit each school year. While offering a subsidy to another facility is generous, I would hate to see the Urbandale Public Swimming Pool close. So many people enjoy and utilize this pool for lap swimming and other programs. I am hopeful that you will work to keep the public pool open. Thank you! While the Urbandale swimming pool has aged, is an asset to the community as programs can be held year-round and for all ages. As the city council considers options for replacing these programs, I encourage you to consider resources that allow the same level currently offered at Urbandale. Goldfish Swim is limited to children, adults aren't allowed. The YMCA programs are also limited and don't provide the variety and Clive is an outdoor facility. In the months to come, I am hopeful the staff and council can bring forth a proposal that serves the needs of all residents. Attractions and amenities in Urbandale are very limited and as a resident, I am disappointed that this recreation option will no longer be available. I appreciate your consideration of my comments. Why can't we get a public pool for a city as large as Urbandale? My perception is it would be used regularly. Why did the Staff recommend to close the facility? The front desk staff that I normally encountered we’re young adults.... my son will be attending Urbandale high school later in life - do they not have a swim team?

Page 40 of 41 Why not partner with Johnston & build a new pool? (if you do; ONLY accept bids from LOCAL companies) We'd go to Clive pool but not YMCA( too busy) & NO WAY to swim school ( yuck).*Remind the community that the pool even exists via regularly updated/maintained social media content/accounts (make it a high school class &/or summer internships for marketing/communications ) How about Unity Point, Iowa Clinic & Mercy partner up to take over cost of pool & use it for physical therapy & pregnancy exercise classes etc.?Or perhaps ask the Bankers Association, Builders Association, HyVee, or some other overpriced corporation in Urbandale to give back to the community & take over the cost of keeping Urbandale pool open. Look far & wide for Grants available to keep it open...

why travel out of town. keep money in the community. better if we had a bigger out door park. Wish there was an Urbandale aquatics location on the west side of Urbandale! Our neighborhood is underserved in this area. With the size of urbandale, and proximity to other options; the other options have always been more appealing. Would definitely use an outdoor pool. We travel to Ankeny now just to swim. Please bring us an outdoor pool! Would like to use multiple YMCA locations if possible. Prefer Waukee Y Would love to continue to have a community pool. It is nice to have something smaller than the large Clive aquatic center to utilize. Also it is great to have a pool to swim at in the winter. Would love to keep using Urbandale pool - it just needs a little TLC. Would love to see an aquatics center in Urbandale. Want ability to have swimming lessons, lap swim and recreational swim. Would love to see an expansion of the outdoor swimming area at the existing pool. Giving consideration to social distancing which won't be going away any time in the next few years, it would make sense to invest in a better outdoor swimming area. The more outside swimming options available, the less congested all area swimming facilities will be. I feel it's something our community would support and appreciate keeping the money in Urbandale, rather than traveling to Clive, West Des Moines or Des Moines. We have every intention of enrolling our son in swim lessons when he's old enough, so it would be a detriment to the community to close this facility. Would love to see the pool stay open to provide CIA an option for ongoing swim practice for the team. Very much needed for ongoing development and abilities of young swimmers in the community. Would prefer another pool. I took grandchildren once, but went to the “Y” in Waukee with all additional visits. Much better facility. Wouldn’t be more or less likely to use Wouldn’t be more or less likely to use You can limit accessibility to the locker rooms without closing the pool. There is no evidence of covid-19 transmission in a chlorine environment. Simply require patrons to wear their suits in and out of the building. A schedule used similar to the YMCA would alleviate overcrowding. There are options to keeping the pool open.

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