By Chris McDaniel

Peninsula Daily News

SEQUIM — Keeping the Sequim Aquatic Recreation Center financially viable remains a key issue for the candidates vying for Sequim City Council.

Five candidates spoke on the issue during a recent forum: Position 1 hopefuls Brandon Jannise, 30, a retail associate, and Pam Leonard-Ray, 56, executive director of the Dungeness Valley Health & Wellness Clinic; Position 2 candidates Susan Lorenzen, 61, an independent distributor with AdvoCare, and John Miller, 60, retired from Safeway Inc.; and Position 7 incumbent Candace Pratt, 77, a retired bookkeeper.

The exercise facility at 610 N. Fifth Ave., known as SARC, includes the city’s only public pool.

The SARC board has said the facility will close by September 2016 because of a lack of funds, even with a cutback in hours that began last week.

SARC was formed as Clallam County Parks and Recreation District 1, a junior taxing district, in 1988. It has not collected taxes since 2003 and has operated on reserves.

Levy loses

Voters rejected a proposed levy in February. In August, they rejected the proposed formation of a metropolitan park district to solely fund SARC.

“The city, I think they should just step back and let the cards fall where they may and see where they can support SARC,” Miller said.

Lorenzen said “there needs to be a major change,” and that she “personally voted” in favor of August’s ballot measure.

“I really believe that SARC needs to be . . . maintained,” she said.

Jannise said he is opposed to “any proposed district that could” impose a new property tax but that he would support “interagency agreements that would keep SARC in business without putting more pressure on the tax base.”

Pratt said the current City Council agrees SARC is essential.

“We need SARC. We need a public pool,” she said.

Pratt also said she supports a proposal by the Olympic Peninsula YMCA to manage the facility.

YMCA has commissioned an ongoing phone survey to gauge community interest in such a proposal.

SARC is “an essential part of the community,” Leonard-Ray said.

“I would hate to see such a thing go away. I believe what is going to happen is that the ‘Y’ will operate SARC. I hope that is what happens.”

Forum topics

The five candidates also discussed taxes, the city’s potential involvement in attracting an airline service to William R. Fairchild International Airport and how best to improve the quality of life for city residents.

The forum, hosted by the Clallam County League of Women Voters, was held last week at the Sequim Transit Center.

James Russell, also running for Position 7, declined to attend and did not send a representative.

Incumbent Ken Hays, 61, owner of Kenneth Hays Architects, was prohibited from participating in the forum by the League of Women Voters because he is running unopposed for Position 6.

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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-681-2390, ext. 5052, or cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.