STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Would you like to see a whirlpool at the Hailey pool? A sauna? A leisure pool with jets and slide? A warm water pool that could extend the season?

The Blaine County Recreation District is holding a community meeting on Thursday, June 8, to find out what the community would like to see in its Aquatic Center next to the Community Campus in Hailey.

Consultants from Wisconsin-based Water Technology will be present at the meeting from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, June 8, in room 211 of the Community Campus.

Built in 1985, the 32-year-old Aquatic Center gets 25,000 visits during the three months it’s open. The building, which opens for the season on Wednesday, June 7, was remodeled over the winter, creating accessibility for wheelchair users.

Now the BCRD wants to design an updated and improved pool space.

“We want to get the community’s imput as to what the needs are,” said Jim Keating, BCRD director.

The pool center last received an upgrade eight years ago when the volleyball area was added.

The new facility, designed by Michael Doty & Associates and constructed by Young Construction, allows swimmers to go directly to the pool through an expanded lobby, rather than having to wind their way through restrooms.

The restrooms are now ADA accessible and offer more privacy in the showers.

While the Aquatic Center is the focus right now, the BCRD would like to address what it’s calling the “Fox Park Project” in the future.

The Fox Park Project, designed by Marty Lyon of Lyon Landscape Architects, includes a pavilion and park on the land that surrounds the Aquatic Center

One of the focal points is the barn, once part of the Fox Ranch which ran from Quigley Canyon nearly to Bellevue. Owned by Earl Fox whose father’s name is on City Hall, the barn provides a historic ambience, and that always enhances the user experience, said Keating.

“Part of the magic of Galena isn’t just the location but its historic flavor,” he said.

The BCRD would like to restore the barn not just to preserve it but to turn it into something that can be used by the community.

The Blaine County Drug Coalition, for instance, could show movies in it. Groups could hold summer camps in it. It could even be used for dances or concerts.

“It would be an authentic gathering spot,” Keating said.

If a proposed development gets approved for Quigley Canyon, the BCRD might consider moving the pump track currently outside the Aquatic Center to Quigley to tie it into bike trails that have been proposed as part of that development.

“What I don’t want to do is get stuck at home plate trying to get all 10 projects on our list done at the same time. Maybe we’ll do one, then step two or three. We’ll do them as we can,” said Keating.

For more information, contact the BCRD at 578-2273 or info@bcrd.org.