Nearly 10 years after an ambitious pool plan was sunk by voters, the South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District and a public advocacy group are at it again.

The two entities are beginning a new round of brainstorming and we welcome the move. We’re not quite ready to dive in head first, but this was a worthy discussion in 2008 and it’s a worthy discussion in 2017.

But for goodness sake, this time keep the plan reasonable. The 2008 initiative didn’t fail just because of the recession. It was rejected because at $15.2 million it was too expensive.

As proposed, the draft plan from ORB Architects included an outdoor, heated six-lane lap pool, indoor leisure pool with water slide, changing rooms, hot tub, two multi-purpose rooms for parties, offices, a small kitchen, outdoor basketball court, fitness center and site work for a future tennis center.

That all sounded great, but 2008 made it clear that it was simply more than voters were willing to take on. This fact isn’t lost on the South Whidbey Parks and Aquatics Foundation, the non-profit group working with the parks district on a new proposal as more recent discussions, such as those in 2013, pitched pools far less grand, facilities in the neighborhood of $3.7 million.

It would be our hope that any new proposal floated remains within the same ballpark. People like pools and they’re great to have. But, so are Ferraris. Lets stick with the family sedan instead.

We also like the that these early talks are including grant money. Communities should pay their own way when they can, but state and federal dollars shouldn’t be overlooked if they’re available.

All that said, the public should give serious thought to any realistic proposal to come forward. Public pools have been around for millennia, and for good reason. They’re centers for community, sports and good health. In our view, we can’t see how it would be anything but a welcome addition to South Whidbey, as long as the price is right.