The city of Enumclaw is looking for members of the public to write “for” and “against” statements in regard to the upcoming community center bond vote.

For those not familiar, the Enumclaw City Council approved late last year to place a $19.5 million bond on the April 23 special election ballot to build a new community center. The building would contain a new senior center, Arts Alive! space, an Enumclaw Chamber of Commerce office, and room for the city’s Parks and Rec department.

Additionally, there would be an open pavilion and covered common/event space and a full-sized gym for open use and for the city’s youth and adult sports programs.

If you don’t want to do the math, passing a $19.5 million bond means homeowners with $500,000 in assessed property value (which is different than market value) would be taxed an additional $140 per year. The length of the bond is up to 29 years for a total of $4,060 in taxes.

However, the city is hoping that additional grants and private donations will help mitigate the taxpayer costs.

For the bond to pass, there needs to be 60% voter support — a high bar, considering Enumclaw has generally not supported additional taxes these last few elections.

Those who want to write a “for” or “against” statement for the bond measure should contact City Clerk Jessica Rose at jrose@ci.enumclaw.wa.us or 360-615-5608, by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 31.