The Monday, July 13, public meeting to answer questions about Hampton’s new Aquatic Center will be held at the Hampton Pool despite the recent permanent closing of the facility.

A new public-service Aquatic Center Answer Line also has been established to take questions about the project. Citizens can call their questions to the voice mail box at 641-425-1050, and they will receive quick answers.

The July 13 Aquatic Center Forum will start at 6:30 p.m. near the Pool’s bathhouse. The location remains the same so that the planned related improvements to Progress Park, for which grant funding will be sought, also can be explained. The meeting is free and open to the public. Representatives of the Make a Splash! Campaign, the Friends of the Hampton Aquatic Center and the City will be on hand to answer questions.

The Forums are intended to make certain that citizens have complete and accurate information about the City’s plans, including the proposed use of revenue from the Local Option Sales and Services Tax (LOST), which has been collected for more than a decade. There is no plan for new or increased taxes. Instead, Hampton plans simply to direct LOST revenue to the new Aquatic Center.

A “yes” vote on August 4 is a vote in favor of using Hampton’s LOST revenue on a new Aquatic Center to replace the recently closed pool. A “no” vote means the City will continue to direct half of the LOST revenue to the water tower, even after it is paid off.

Hampton voters in 1996 approved the 1 percent LOST. In 2001, voters approved using half of the LOST revenue on the water tower and half on a pool. The water tower soon will be paid off. The LOST will continue as approved in 1996, and the City is asking Hampton voters on August 4 whether they approve of directing LOST revenue to the new Aquatic Center.

The LOST is paid by people who spend money in Hampton. For instance, if someone traveling through the City stops and makes a purchase, that person pays the LOST, which will continue in effect no matter the outcome of the August 4 vote.

The “Make a Splash!” Campaign’s objective is to pull together the approximately $3.3 million needed to make the Aquatic Center a reality. The City of Hampton intends to use a combination of private donations, public and private grant funding, and LOST revenue to pay for the Aquatic Center.

Got a question? Call the Aquatic Center Answer Line at 641-425-1050.