The rumors are flying through the community and over the Internet.

And while any deal is far from finalized, there are two organizations potentially coming to the rescue of the Carole Ann Wald Memorial Pool and Gymnasium in St. Edward State Park.

Current facility operator Northwest Center of Seattle has indicated to the Washington Parks and Recreation Commission it plans on terminating its contract to run the facility effective Feb. 24.

A regional director for the parks commission, Don Hoch said he met with Northwest Vice President Mike Quinn Feb. 9 to try and iron out some agreement to keep the operating contract with Northwest in place at least temporarily.

“At this time, no contract has been agreed to,” Hoch said in an e-mail sent Feb. 10.

Northwest Center is a nonprofit group aiding developmentally challenged persons and uses the pool primarily as an exercise facility for its clients. Quinn did not return a phone call requesting comment for this story. In the past, he has indicated Northwest officials would like to continue their association with the pool, but said the issue comes down to one of money.

In an e-mail sent to pool supporters, Quinn said his organization’s cost for running the facility could hit $100,000 a year or higher under the funding scheme proposed by the state.

Due to Washington’s well-publicized financial crunch, Hoch has said his department has been charged with making $10 million in budget cuts.

In the meantime, Bastyr University and Mill Creek’s West Coast Aquatics have emerged as potential replacements for Northwest in its role as pool operator.

Fueled no doubt by a hopeful message posted on a university Web blog, some Wald supporters are pointing to Bastyr as the swimming facility’s savior. That may or may not be the case, according to George Cody, a special assistant to Bastyr President Daniel Church.

While he made no promises, Cody confirmed the school administration actively is looking into what might be needed to keep the pool and gym up and running.

“There are long-term operational avenues, possibly including Bastyr acting as an operator … We are open to considering that as an option,” Cody said.

But he added the university would need to reach some agreement with the state park system and stated officials from both sides will be meeting this week. Cody also said he would prefer Northwest continue its management functions at the pool, if at all possible.

The second organization possibly looking to take over the Wald pool already operates its own pool in Mill Creek. West Coast Aquatics is a nonprofit group that runs the Mill Creek Swim Club. The swim club offers various aquatic programs and is open to the public.

“We are pursuing it, we are very, very interested,” said West Coast Executive Director Troy Emmons regarding the Wald pool, adding he already has met with the state park commission’s Hoch.

“At this point, it looks pretty good,” Emmons said.

To cover pool operating expenses, Emmons said his group partly would rely on existing financial contributions from the city of Kenmore, from Bastyr and from Evergreen Healthcare in Kirkland. He added his belief is the state will continue to contribute capital improvement money, dollars Northwest’s Quinn at one point said he thought were about to disappear.

No matter who, if anyone, might ultimately be running the pool, a few final answers might be on their way shortly. According to a couple of sources, a community meeting on the future of the pool is scheduled for 7-8 p.m. Feb. 18 at the seminary building in St. Edward Park.

Pool and gym supporters already have proven they can show up in force. Dozens packed a meeting of Kenmore City Council Feb. 9. The pool was not even on the council’s agenda for the evening, but facility backers took the opportunity to push for keeping the pool operational. The comments of supporter Blake Hoefer were typical.

“I feel like the city should take some leadership … some long-term solution has to be found,” he said.

Kenmore’s Inglemoor High uses the Wald pool as the practice site for its swim teams. Team member Kyle Bogusz said the facility is needed to keep the squads intact.

“I can’t even imagine high school without a swim team,” he said.

“I feel it’s important to note this council supports the pool and will continue to support the pool,” said Kenmore Mayor David Baker.

Baker later added the city contributes $25,000 a year to financing the pool and he would be open to increasing that amount if the rest of council agreed.