An aquatic center proposed for eastern Fort Dodge should be placed in the city's core, in the opinion of a downtown advocate.
''I just see something moving to the edge of town that ought to be in the center of town,'' said Steve Pederson, a member of the Self Supported Municipal Improvement District's Executive Board.
He said the district could provide $1 million to buy land for the center if it was placed downtown.
The district is a roughly 32-square-block downtown area in which property owners pay an extra tax to finance improvements there.
Pederson made his plea for moving the center downtown during a Friday afternoon board meeting.
Fellow board member Jim Bird said it's probably too late to change the aquatic center plan, but he agreed that a major attraction to draw people downtown is needed.
''If we don't have some kind of anchor that makes downtown a destination, we're wasting our money,'' he said.
He said an indoor recreation center called for in a city plan would be a good fit for the area because it would be used all year.
Amy Bruno, executive director of the Fort Dodge Area Chamber of Commerce, said a poll commissioned by aquatic center backers showed a downtown location would be unpopular.
The proposed center would be built on about 23 acres of land at the northeast corner of 32nd Street and 10th Avenue North. That land would be donated by Tom and Norma Schmoker, of Fort Dodge, if the city's voters approve the project.
Those voters are scheduled to decide Aug. 26 if the city government should borrow up to $8.95 million to pay for the park. That borrowing would be in the form of a general obligation bond issue that would have to be approved by at least 60 percent of those voting.
The debt would be paid off with property tax revenue. City officials have estimated that the bond debt would cost the average homeowner $3.50 per month, or $42 a year.
The center would consist of a 640-foot lazy river, three water slides, a shallow recreational pool and a 25-yard competition lap and diving pool.
Ten of the 23 acres of donated land would be used for a park.
If the bond issue is approved, the center could be open in 2010.
Expo Pool on North Seventh Street would be closed and demolished after the center opened.
Although Pederson wants the executive board to have some influence on the aquatic center planning, the panel took no action Friday.
Contact Bill Shea at (515) 573-2141 or bshea@messengernews.net