No contract has been signed, but state officials and Mill Creek’s West Coast Aquatics are in discussions that could lead to the latter taking over operation of the Carole Ann Wald Memorial Pool in St. Edward State Park.

The pool closed its doors Feb. 23 when the parks commission and the former operator, Seattle’s Northwest Center, couldn’t come to terms on a contract extension.

“We’re optimistic that we can get the pool operational in April,” said Don Hoch, the Puget Sound regional director for the parks commission.

Hoch said he could not offer further details on any talks between the state and West Coast until or when a contract is signed.

A certified nonprofit, West Coast already operates the Mill Creek Swim Club, a pool which is open to the public in that city. West Coast Executive Director Troy Emmons did not return a phone call.

Last month, Hoch had announced the state was putting out requests for information from potential new pool operators with a deadline set for Feb. 25. But he later added that state rules forced the commission to follow a different path in hunting for a new operator, sending out a request for proposals — apparently, specific operational plans — from interested parties, this time with a due date of March 3.

Hoch said talks with West Coast began in earnest only fairly recently, after state officials had reviewed the proposals received. He added it likely will be a few more weeks before any final decisions are made regarding the pool. He declined to say why West Coast proposal won the state’s nod or even if there were other groups interested in running the pool. At one point, officials for St. Edward Park neighbor Bastyr University had expressed a willingness to at least explore taking over operation of the Wald facility.

In the meantime, Hoch confirmed the parks commission is moving forward with what he called an “exercise” that includes the complete closure of St. Edward Park. He said the commission was asked by the state legislature to examine what might happen if an additional $23 million had to be sliced from the parks’ budget. The answer was the shutting of some 33 parks, possibly including St. Edward.

The commission already had been asked to reduce its spending by some $10 million, which led almost directly to the closure of the Wald Pool. The state had been contributing about $55,000 a year toward pool operations, dollars that went directly to Northwest Center. The parks commission proposed not only eliminating those dollars, but was suggesting the pool operator would need to pitch in a “substantial” portion of the pool’s utility bills. With all that in mind, Northwest officials indicated they had no choice but to walk away.

As for the park itself, Hoch said its future depends largely on what budget numbers ultimately emerge from the legislature and the governor’s office in Olympia.

“We’re up in the air still,” Hoch said. “Every day is different.”

A final state budget originally was expected this month, but now likely will not appear until late April.

Regarding St. Edward, Hoch said the presence of the pool and attached gymnasium definitely complicates the formula for determining how much the state would save if the park is closed. He said there undoubtedly would be continuing maintenance costs connected to the pool and gym, even if the park was shut down. That being the case, Hoch said it might not even make sense for the park to close. But Hoch cautioned the state has not yet made that determination.

If the legislature or the governor’s office slices more dollars from the park-system budget, the park commission will have the final word on what parks close or remain open.