URBANA -- Park district voters have approved an 11-cent increase in their property tax rate to pay for a $7.725 million outdoor aquatic center at Crystal Lake Park.

And the park board next Tuesday night will begin developing the formal design of the pool, park board President Michael Walker said.

"I think we'll be authorizing staff to begin negotiating for a design contract. What we have right now is a concept plan. You can't take that out to someone for bids," Walker said. "We want to move quickly so we can get it in the ground quickly. Our goal is to get this project going and opened in 2013."

Park district officials and board members were surprised by widespread support for the aquatic center proposal, they confessed.

"I'm pleased at the percentage. More than anything, I'm pleased that people had really good information that would help them make a decision," said Vicki Mayes, park district director. "People had a chance to ask questions and think, 'How is this important to me and my community, and is it right for my community?'

"And there were a lot of people engaged in this. How often do you have kids making up yard signs or writing letters to the editor?"

The property tax increase, which will be reflected on next spring's tax bills, will increase the park district's tax rate to about 95 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.

The proposal passed in almost every one of the 23 Urbana and four rural precincts that voted on it. Support for the pool Tuesday was stronger in many precincts than a larger (15 cents per $100 of assessed valuation) general capital projects tax vote in 2009.

In Cunningham 6, a central Urbana precinct, voters approved the pool increase 61 to 41. Two years ago, the same precinct opposed the 15-cent increase.

The aquatic center, which will be built on the site where an Urbana public pool has operated since 1927, will include an eight-lane, 25-meter competition pool, a tot pool with a beach-like entry, a leisure pool with a short current channel, a deep plunge pool with a drop slide and a "sprayground" in a separate area of the facility that can be opened on warm days in spring and fall. There also will be a new bathhouse, parking lot and updated electrical, water and sewer service.