Feb. 25 may turn out to be a key date in the history of the Carole Anne Wald Memorial Pool and Gymnasium in Kenmore’s St. Edward State Park.
At a public hearing held Feb. 18 in the park’s Grand Dining Hall, Don Hoch, a regional director for the state parks commission, said parks officials actively are seeking a new operator for the pool.
He added the state had launched, by e-mail and Web postings, a statewide call for proposals from potential facility managers. The deadline to respond was set as Feb. 25.
“It’s not going to be an easy sell,” Hoch said, adding pools traditionally simply are not money makers.
Still, at least two entities have expressed public interest in possibly running the pool. They are pool neighbors Bastyr University along with Mill Creek’s nonprofit West Coast Aquatics.
West Coast Aquatics had a representative at the state’s Feb. 18 meeting, while Bastyr officials have confirmed they are at least open to discussing running the pool.
“We see this as a viable business opportunity for us,” said West Coast Executive Director Troy Emmons, who in the past has said he has met twice with Hoch.
West Coast is a nonprofit group that operates the Mill Creek Swim Club in that city, offering various aquatic programs that are open to the public.
At the meeting Feb. 18, Emmons said his organization is going into talks about the Wald pool with “both eyes open,” as they already successfully run a pool.
A special assistant to university president Daniel Church, Bastyr’s George Cody has confirmed that institution’s possible interest in managing the pool.
“We are open to considering that as an option,” Cody has said.
Hoch did not offer any details on any progress made regarding talks with either West Coast or Bastyr.
Wald pool managers since 2004, Seattle’s nonprofit Northwest Center was slated to step away from its duties to the facility effective Feb. 24. During the meeting at St. Edward, Hoch repeatedly said the state never intended to close the pool, but he never made clear how it could remain open without an operator. Hoch added that even if a new manager is found quickly, he expected the pool would close its doors for at least a 30-day transition period.
In the course of the session at St. Edward, Hoch said he intended the meeting to dispel what he termed some of the rumors and misinformation spreading throughout the area by word-of-mouth and also via the Internet.
The pool has received a significant outpouring of support from the community. The Feb. 18 meeting drew about 50 persons, while just as many packed a Kenmore City Council meeting earlier this month to express their displeasure at the possibility of the pool closing. The issue has become the topic of discussion on several local Web sites and blogs.
According to Hoch, the Wald facility began its life as a King County project before being taken over by the state, which operated it on its own for a few years. He said officials then spent about $10,000 in a search for an operator. The only taker was Northwest.
According to information provided by the state, the parks commission has been supporting the pool at the rate of about $55,000 a year, which went to Northwest. The state also paid approximately $85,000 a year in utility bills to heat the pool and facility. The pool also receives monetary support from the city of Kenmore, from Bastyr and from Evergreen Hospital.
Sill, because of the state-budget crunch, the parks commission withdrew its $55,000 stipend and is calling for the pool operator to take over what was described as a “substantial” portion of the pool’s utility bills.
With all that in mind, Hoch said Northwest officials concluded it was not financially feasible for them to continue to operate the pool. Hoch insisted there is no “bad blood” between the state and Northwest, adding the latter essentially made a business decision.
“They had to look out for their clients,” Hoch said.
Northwest primarily serves developmentally challenged children and adults who use the Wald pool as an exercise facility. Hoch said Northwest had stepped up and was trying to find alternative swimming sites for groups who use the St. Edward pool, groups such as a Seattle Synchronized Swimming Team and Inglemoor High’s teams.
Hoch emphasized the Wald pool is far from the only facility affected by park-department budget cuts of $10 million. Statewide, he said some 15 parks are facing closure, although the operation of 13 could be transferred to some other governmental entity or nonprofit group. The parks service also has made some $3.5 million in administrative reductions, with Hoch’s own office about to be shuttered, combined with another regional office.
