3 swimmers seek to build Boise pool for competitions. They just got a big tax-funded boost
A trio of swim enthusiasts has banded together to build a swimming-pool center they say could meet the growing need for more pools in the Treasure Valley.
The trio — Ryan Stratton, whose father is a former president of USA Swimming; Jeff Erwin, the swimming coach at Boise High School; and Melanie Rubocki, the managing partner of the Perkins Coie law firm in Boise — say they have already raised $1 million toward the project and scouted potential sites.
They’re asking for taxpayer help, and on Thursday they got it: a tentative commitment for up to $5 million from the Greater Boise Auditorium District.
“There’s just such a dramatic need here in the Valley,” Stratton told the district’s board before it voted to pledge the money.
The trio propose a 50-meter-by-25-yard pool and a second, 25-yard teaching pool. The 50-meter pool would be “world class,” able to host almost any swimming competitions except Olympic trials and USA Swimming’s annual national championships, the organizers say.
“We have pools that are great for specific purposes,” Stratton said. “City pools are great for recreational swimming. YMCAs are gracious to host swim teams, and high schools. … But the space available for teams to have normal practice is limited. … Having a pool like this that could host any number of high schools would be outstanding.”
(The Treasure Valley Family YMCA has been building a pool at its South Meridian location and considering the future of its half-century-old site in downtown Boise, which includes a pool.)
Children and other swimmers could use the new pool center, too. The Boise Swim Club, Sawtooth Aquatic Club, Sawtooth Masters Swimming and a water polo club have committed to use it, the proponents said. A “robust lesson program” would teach basic swimming, scuba diving, lifeguarding, snorkeling, kayaking and other water skills.
“The pools we have are old … outdated,” Stratton said. “We really think this would improve the health of the community.”
But the big selling point for the auditorium district, which is funded by 5% hotel room taxes and promotes economic development, is the potential for the center to host regional and national competitions. Those could bring millions of dollars into the Idaho economy.
Stratton, Erwin and Rubocki say they will establish a business called Idaho Competitive Aquatics to run the center. They propose to raise $2 million privately. They want the auditorium district to pay for the land and for an enclosure that would allow the center to operate year-round.
“No one gets rich off building swimming pools,” Stratton said. “No one is going to make a million dollars off a swimming pool. This is about the passion for the sport.”
With the district’s financial commitment, the trio now hope to secure a site within 45 days and return to the board to nail down details. If all goes well, the pool could be ready as soon as September.
But the site search so far has not gone as smoothly as the organizers hoped. The Boise area’s rapid growth, severe shortage of affordable housing and fast-rising land prices are obstacles in their path.
Their first choice was a parcel owned by the city between Borah High School and Bishop Kelly High School, both of which have pools. Having the high school pools nearby would help attract national competitions, they said.
But City Hall turned them down. “They have an overriding need for retaining land for the future development of housing,” Stratton said.
Their next choice — which Stratton called “a pipe dream really, an amazing location” — was a downtown parcel at Front and 13th streets owned by the Simplot family. But the family has its own plans for the property.
A third parcel, a lot on Findley Avenue near the Fred Meyer store off Federal Way in Southeast Boise, is now under contract to another buyer.
That leaves, for the moment, a fourth site: 3.6 acres at the northeast corner of Franklin and Maple Grove roads that’s listed for $1.56 million.
“The biggest challenge we face is finding a place for this thing,” Stratton said. “The availability of land in Boise is waning. … It’s getting more expensive.”
As for the pool center’s economic impact? The organizers say a high school meet with 800 swimmers and 300 parents and officials would generate an estimated $144,000 in spending on hotels, food, rental cars and other expenses. A regional or senior meet would generate $597,000 and a national meet $1.5 million.
The district board’s vote of support was unanimous.
This story was originally published February 19, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
