County Board member John Vihstadt is renewing his push to delay the construction of the Long Bridge Park aquatics center.
Vihstadt is waging a lonely battle against the as the county鈥檚 budget picture grows increasingly grim. He says聽the $60 million the county鈥檚 set to spend on the new pool would be better spent on building new schools or buying additional park land, particularly considering that Arlington is feeling a at the moment.
Between sending more money to Metro and declining commercial tax revenues, the County Board is facing some challenging headwinds as it nears a final decision this weekend on a for construction spending. Vihstadt, the Board鈥檚 lone independent who is running for re-election this fall, thinks the 72,000-square-foot pool complex can wait a bit longer.
The project鈥檚 have convinced the Board to repeatedly adjust its plans it over the years, and Vihstadt made an effort to drive down its cost a of his 2014 bid for office. But he still feels that even the facility鈥檚 is too much for Arlington to take on right now.
鈥淭imes change, circumstances change, and I just don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 right to go forward on that project,鈥� Vihstadt told ARLnow. 鈥淪chools have a higher priority. Parks have a higher priority.鈥�
Yet, just as when he cast the lone vote against the project鈥檚 construction last December, Vihstadt appears to be in the minority on that position. His four colleagues on the Board all told ARLnow that they wouldn鈥檛 support any effort to postpone the Long Bridge project, even with the county鈥檚 money troubles in mind.
鈥淩aising these issues when he first ran for election was an important contribution, because it shifted that narrative to value engineering,鈥� said Board Vice Chair Christian Dorsey. 鈥淭hat success is something John ought to feel he positively contributed to. Now, it鈥檚 the responsibility of the rest of us to follow through.鈥�
The pro-pool Board members all point out that the project has been in the works for decades, with the community formally signing off on money for the aquatics center as part of a bond referendum back in 2004, and would fill a void for such a facility in the Crystal City area.
But they also stress that the process of unwinding the work the county鈥檚 already done would be so costly as to make the effort pointless. County Manager Mark Schwartz believes that to build the facility would prompt extensive litigation, with financial consequences to follow.
鈥淲e cannot simply break the contract,鈥� Board member Libby Garvey wrote in an email. 鈥淟ikely there would be real financial penalties for us if we did, to say nothing of the damage to our reputation among builders. Companies bidding on our projects in the future would likely add extra cost because we could not be trusted to fulfill our contracts.鈥�
The aquatic center鈥檚 proponents also see any move to reverse the Long Bridge decision as one that would send the wrong message to the community, or as an effort to 鈥渞e-litigate the past,鈥� as Board member Erik Gutshall puts it.
鈥淚f you can鈥檛 trust our word and the votes of the Board, it鈥檚 just inviting an endless cycle of pitting project against project right up to the point the ribbon is cut,鈥� said Board Chair Katie Cristol.
But Vihstadt believes taxpayers would appreciate the Board鈥檚 willingness to re-examine its priorities as fiscal realities change. For instance, as debate about amenities to be built for high schoolers at the , Vihstadt suggested redirecting some of the Long Bridge money to at that location instead.
鈥淎 pool in a high school鈥� makes more sense than an aquatics center, which is going to be used more heavily by folks outside of Arlington,鈥� Vihstadt said.
Gutshall believes such an idea could鈥檝e been viable if it was proposed 鈥渇ive or 10 years ago,鈥� but he feels the county is too far down the current path to consider that sort of plan now.
鈥淲here do we draw the line and say, 鈥楨nough is enough鈥� when it comes to replaying this sort of debate?鈥� Gutshall said.
Democratic nominee Matt de Ferranti is eager to provide a contrasting view in that discussion as part of .
鈥淲e should not only study things forever,鈥� de Ferranti said. 鈥淓ventually we have to act with courage and conviction to improve the community鈥� and with a reduced cost, it鈥檚 the right thing to do to move forward.鈥�
Yet Vihstadt argues that his obstinance on the subject is the just sort of thing that helped him win in the first place 鈥� and a clear demonstration of the independent streak he brings to the Board.
鈥淲e have to scour things, ask questions and, on occasion, say 鈥楴o鈥� or hit the pause button and say 鈥楴ot now,’鈥� Vihstadt said. 鈥淚 think a lot of people appreciate the constructive attitude I鈥檝e had to ask questions and not just nod my head.鈥�
