After months of discussion, the Urbana Park District and its advisory committee are taking the next step in the possible replacement of the Crystal Lake outdoor pool.

The committee will soon begin seeking public input from the Urbana community so it can decide what the next step is for the outdoor pool at 1503 N. Broadway, which was closed in August 2008 because of safety concerns regarding the pool’s electrical system.

Advisory committee co-chair Juan Jimenezsaid summer was the perfect time to gauge people’s willingness to pay more tax dollars in the future for a new pool.

“It’s summer, people have swimming on their mind,” Jimenez said. “I think we’re going to get the best information right now.

“We’re going to start immediately. I hope by the end of the summer, definitely by the end of the year, we’ve got some stuff down on paper, some real feedback, and we’ll be able to move forward or just pull the plug on this whole thing.”

To determine public sentiment, the advisory committee will conduct surveys and focus groups, gather data, make site visits and hold open meetings.

A failed referendum in February 2008 requested a 25-cent tax increase per $100 of assessed property value. Included in that referendum were potential funds that would have gone toward the Crystal Lake pool.

Park district administration decided to ask for less by taking the pool out of an April 2009 referendum, which passed and allotted a 15-cent tax increase per $100 dollars of assessed property value. That money went mostly toward maintenance and small renovations of current facilities. But the passing of the referendum also allowed the park district to go forward with preliminary planning for the pool.

The main issue while researching public interest is whether Urbana residents are interested enough to pay additional tax dollars for the new pool, which was roughly estimated at $5 million by Jimenez and fellow advisory committee co-chair Scott Dossett.

“In the long run, what we have to do is figure out what we can afford,” Dossett said.Jimenez said there’s a “group of people that are very vocal” in support of a new pool, but he warned another referendum must be passed for the pool project to go through. For that reason, the economic recession worries Jimenez a bit.

“I think there’s support for an aquatic facility in theory,” Jimenez said. “Whether a referendum to build such a facility will pass in this economic climate, that I’m not so sure about.”

Dan Gibble, superintendant of recreation for the Urbana Park District, said if there’s a desire to have an outdoor pool, community tax dollars wouldn’t be the only source of funds.

“Likely it will be a combination of sources,” Gibble said. “It’ll be grants and donations, but it’ll also probably largely have to involve another referendum question asking taxpayers for money to issue bonds to build a multi-million dollar project.”

Avid swimmers shouldn’t get too antsy, though, as Jimenez predicted it would be 18 to 24 months before anyone would see a referendum question. Gibble had a similar take on the situation.

“We’re really at the front end of the whole process,” Gibble said.