Some 40 years after it was built, the Vashon Pool is in need of architectural, electrical and mechanical upgrades, according to a recent evaluation conducted by a team of aquatic center experts who evaluated the facility.
Earlier this spring, to help it plan for the pool’s future, the Vashon Park District (VPD) hired Tacoma-based ORB Architects to complete a thorough analysis of the pool and its needs.
A team of experts visited the pool in March and issued their final report, which lays out items — ranging from repairing the pool deck to replacing the pool’s mechanical system — that must be addressed immediately as well as in the short- and long-term. None of the items will affect the pool’s opening this weekend, said Aquatics Director Scott Bonney, and none of the issues came as a surprise.
“We had pretty strong hunches on most of the items in the report,” he said, “but it is good to get a professional assessment.”
In all, the items that must be addressed come with a $2 million price tag, but VPD Executive Director Elaine Ott said that figure is high and is an estimate for what it would cost with a general contractor bringing in subcontractors and undertaking all the work at once. The district will not complete the scope of work that way and is capable of doing some of the work with its own maintenance staff, Ott added. For example, the report estimates that the cost to install an ADA-accessible drinking fountain would be nearly $12,000, but the district’s crew could do so for between $1,000 and $2,000, she said, and a specific type of ADA-accessible lift is estimated to cost $23,000, but the district already has one, which will be put into service. Additionally, the district will likely package items, such as needed electrical work, and hire an electrical contractor to complete the tasks, which would be more cost effective than having a general contractor do so, she said.
Work that falls in the “immediate” category involves critical, life safety issues, accessibility issues and mandatory code items that were not grandfathered in. Those items, which include increasing the accessibility of the changing room and rewiring a boiler switch, total $96,000 in the report, but Ott said the district believes it has already addressed a $79,000 item regarding the pool’s main drain some time ago and just needs King County’s sign off. Assuming that element will be removed, Ott said that Bonney has created a list of $117,000 worth of work — mechanical issues the district would like to address sooner rather than later — to replace it.
To help fund these improvements, Ott said she plans to apply for a $75,000 Youth Sport Facilities Grant from King County. This grant requires a 50 percent match, and the Vashon Seals Swim Team has committed to fundraising for nearly $10,000 of that, with the park district responsible for the balance. Some of the work can be completed this summer, Ott said, with the remainder to be completed this winter and coming spring.
Work to be done in the short-term is also related to life safety and code issues, and the experts advise it to be completed in the next year or two. Items in this category include repairing the pool decks and deck drainage, refurbishing the pool shell and a variety of mechanical and electrical projects.
In the long-term category is work that should be tended to within the next three to five years for the future viability of the pool; it includes big-ticket items, such as replacing the pool’s chemistry system and its boiler.
The report also suggested some items that are not critical or required, but would be nice, and are considered “code deficient.”Renovating the bath house falls into the category, Ott said, noting that the changing rooms’ brick walls do not go all the way to the ceiling and therefore do not retain heat.
To help fund the needed work, Ott said she is looking for additional grant sources beyond the King County grant, including one from Washington’s Recreation and Conservation Office for $500,000 with a 50 percent match required, and one from the Department of Commerce, which could address the electrical issues, which total more than $300,000.
“I am confident we can get a lot of help with this, and I am confident the board will support exploring those possibilities,” Ott said.
She also stressed that the district’s talk about the pool and needed improvements is in the early stages, and the board has not yet discussed additional funding strategies, such as community fund-raising or a levy.
“We have not had those discussions,” she said.
Meanwhile, the pool will open this Saturday with a free public swim, food, music and games. Weekend hours will be 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for lap swim and 1 to 6 p.m. for open swim. The pool will be open weekends only until June 27, and then the regular season schedule will begin. Early-season discounts on passes and punch cards will be available through Memorial Day weekend.
For more information, see vashonparks.org or call the pool at 463-3787.
