‘Small Pool, BIG Cost’: Some Vienna residents frustrated with aquatic center project
The project, which the Town of Vienna estimates could cost up to $28 million, is planned for the site of the old Vienna Faith Baptist Church. The town previously bought the 3-acre site, referred to as the Annex, and it remains empty.
The proposal would bring an indoor pool and aquatic center to the heart of the area, near Vienna Elementary School. Local officials said the community has been asking for a pool for decades, and the demand intensified when one wasn’t added during renovations to the Vienna Community Center.
Leslie Herman, Vienna’s director of parks and recreation, said survey results indicate “overwhelmingly that one of the biggest unmet needs was a pool and also a fitness facility.”
But critics of the project are frustrated about the cost, and have questioned whether a pool is needed. In some pockets of Vienna, lawn signs that say “small pool, BIG cost” have gone up.
Later this month, local leaders will seek town council approval to hire a project management firm.
“Vienna is a great little town, but our taxes have gotten so difficult for so many of our residents, and it’s going to continue with this aquatic center,” resident Don Feltman said.
The town included $28 million for the project in its long-term Capital Improvement Plan. While the plans could shift, Herman said the pool could be four lanes and 25 meters, or six lanes and 25 meters.
About 110 people would be able to be in the water at a time, according to a county FAQ about the project. The second floor could feature cardio and stretching equipment, turf training and free weights.
The blueprint includes plans for community meeting spaces.
About 1,500-2,000 Vienna residents would become members, the town estimates, and at least over 1,000 would be nonresident members. Residents and nonresidents would pay to use the facility.
In November, Vienna’s Town Council accepted a $3 million interest-free advance from Navy Federal Credit Union to cover initial project management and design. Vienna recently increased its meals tax to 4%, and revenue from the tax is used to pay for capital improvement projects, Herman said.
An independent consultant found the facility would cost $500,000 to operate in the first year, dropping to $340,000 in the fifth year.
“I think that a lot of folks feel that it is a done deal, and that it’s already on its path and looking to build it so that it’s completed in 2030, but that’s not the case,” Herman said. “There will be various stop gaps along the way where council can say, ‘No, this isn’t the facility that we’re looking for’ based on the design process.”
One Vienna resident who asked not to be named said the project “would be great, a place to swim that’s close by, and there’s a lot of seniors that could really benefit from that, and it would be fun for the kids too.“
But another resident, Melissa, told WTOP that even without knowing many of the details, “Everything that I’ve seen makes me think that it is not going to be useful enough to justify the cost to the residents of the town.”
Feltman agreed, suggesting local leaders stop “spending so much of the taxpayers’ money, give more back to them, so our kids can afford to live in this town and people as they get older as well, will be able to still be here.”
As part of the long-term use study, Herman said options for the land included an aquatic and fitness facility, a standalone fitness facility or an outdoor gathering space.
While there are Fairfax County facilities nearby, Herman said the aquatic and fitness center would allow Vienna to control what type of programming is offered and who can use the site.
The town’s FAQ, Herman said, addresses many questions about the proposed project and reaffirms “that the town is … not going to make a decision that’s going to hurt the town. The town’s AAA bonded. They’re going to make decisions based on the good of the greater community.”