Discussions from the Edinburg CISD Board Facilities Committee meeting Tuesday indicate the district is eying a city-center location and a $20 million cost for a prospective natatorium.
The district met with the city of Edinburg last month, and representatives from both sides strongly supported building a natatorium quickly.
Superintendent Mario Salinas told trustees Tuesday that the city said it would be willing to split the cost of the facility with the district.
“Which is to me as a superintendent attractive, because we don’t want to go out for a bond, cause we don’t know if it’ll pass, and it might not pass,” he said. “And we don’t want to borrow money either. We feel that we have money in our fund balance to partner with another local agency — 50/50 — so that we don’t have to borrow money or to go out for a bond program, and we can get going with this facility.”
What will that facility cost? Numbers are far from definite, but Salinas said that he’d met with architects from Pharr’s recent natatorium project and they indicated a quality natatorium would be feasible for $20 million.
That’s an achievable sum, Salinas said: The district can meet a $10 million commitment, and the city says it can do the same.
“I happen to think that we are overdue for a natatorium by 20 years,” Salinas said, echoing the opinion of elected officials from last month’s meeting ad nauseum. “Rio Grande City has a natatorium, La Joya has one, McAllen has one, Pharr has one, Weslaco has one, Harlingen has one, Los Fresnos has one, San Benito has one — and Brownsville. I think we’re overdue for one.”
Both entities seem prepared to pay. The project’s fly in the ointment — if there is one — will likely be over location.
District administration pitched a central location, around Richard Flores Stadium.
Graphics presented to trustees displayed natatoriums from Pharr, Harlingen and Brownsville imposed on land in that area, land Salinas said the district or city already owns that already has access to water, sewage and parking, and is central to local high schools.
Salinas said that location is ideal compared to another spot.
“The concern I have: we don’t have money,” he said. “Because you’ve got to do the asphalt for the parking, for 500 parking spaces at least. You’ve got to do the engineering — because it’s raw land — to survey it. You’ve got to bring in sewer, you’ve got to bring in water. You’re going to spend $10 million before you even hire the architect. We don’t have the money.”
Board President Dominga “Minga” Vela echoed that support for a central spot, calling it attractive.
“The stadium is right there, the library is right there. So it’s a good deal, in my opinion,” she said.
Not all are fans of a central location. Elected officials from both the district and municipal side talked about building the proposed natatorium on the edge of Edinburg last month, some saying it could serve as an economic hub.
Trustees Louis Alamia and Mike Farias both floated the possibility of other locations Tuesday.
“Every other school district is landlocked; we can still grow north, so I think it’s something that we’ve got to keep our mind and our options open,” Alamia said.
