Sammamish City Council Selects Kellman Site to be Possible Home of Community Aquatic Center

Land that once was under consideration to be the site of a city maintenance facility might be the future home to the community aquatic center - a facility that will take tens of millions of dollars to build and that many residents want. 

The City Council took a formal step Monday night and approved the Kellman Property - just west of the - as the preferred location. All seven members voted for the resolution.

The Kellman land, which was , occupies 9.35 acres. Of that amount, about seven acres are suitable for construction, city staff reported.

But architects with Denver-based Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture and city staff will produce a "detailed site analysis" to determine whether there are factors on the land that require additional study or discussion. At meetings last week, architects and one resident talked about the soil condition.

That detailed analysis is expected next month - and the next scheduled public meeting regarding a possible community aquatic center is set for July 12.

Among the topics that city staff and consultants will keep an eye on: Soil conditions, traffic flow and impact, possible off-site traffic improvements, stormwater and how a community aquatic center might affect views to the west from . The western edge of the Kellman Property also is wetlands, according to a presentation from consultants.

"In the event the studies indicate the Kellman site is not suitable for a community center facility, the City Council will be asked to identify an alternate site for further study," according to a staff memo to elected leaders.

The two other sites that were under consideration - and that have not been formally ruled out - include 15.5 acres of land owned by the and near and 5.7 acres south of Southeast Fourth Street. Other parties own land on these two sites.

All three sites have been appraised by the city. Jessi Richardson, city parks and recreation director, said Tuesday that those documents are still confidential because negotiations are technically ongoing.

The Kellman site is near and . One draft image from consultants shows that a community center entrance might extend from the road that takes motorists to the Sammamish Library.

In the computer-assisted image, to the west of the library right under one of the structure's wall of windows, is a traffic horseshoe or circle - in which motorists can drop off and pick up people.

Richardson noted that there has been no final determination on the entrance and exit points for automobiles. The idea to build a community aquatic center also requires many more procedural and policy steps before anything becomes reality.

But city staff will be talking with private property owners near the Kellman site, she said. "We are meeting with immediate property owners in the next several weeks just to talk about the site and the site plans," she said.

"We’re meeting and exploring all of our opportunities and options and issues."

The city has owned the Kellman site 2006, when it purchased it for  $3.25 million, according to documents. Over the years, city officials had considered turning the Kellman House into a center for retreats, seniors or teens. One possibility is to demolish the house, city officials said.

In the city resolution, the Kellman site has been identified with Parcel No. 0424069001 in King County property records. The site is home a 5,600-square-foot mansion, which has three bedrooms and was built in 1979. This year, King County officials appraised this parcel and mansion for a total of $1.45 million.

City staff also reported on Monday that the feasibility study could cost up to $200,000. This money will come out of the $6.3 million that the City Council approved in the 2011-12 budget to support possibly building a community center.

Already, the City Council has voted to spend $125,000 from the $6.3 million to support the work being done by Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture.

Editor's note: The attached PDF document shows basic and tentative illustrations of how a community aquatic center might look on the Kellman site. No official decision has been made about whether a center will be built.