Last Tuesday, the Vashon Park District board narrowly approved — the vote was 3-2 — a proposal to cover the Vashon Pool brought to it six months ago by the Seals swim team. The decision came after much trepidation and figuring and refiguring of financial estimates that are just that: estimates.
In the end, after working with park district officials and board members, as well as Vashon Park District (VPD) Aquatics Director Scott Bonney, a proposal was presented that would cost VPD around $55,000 per year with the assumption being the Seals will pay for the bubble, as well as their 10 hours per day of practice ($30,000 per year). Another assumption is that revenue from public use will be around $30,000 per year from 30 lap swimmers buying passes and around 20 people swimming each weekend.
The motion approved by the board last Tuesday allows the pool to remain covered and available for year-round use only if these financial estimates are met. If the operating cost of the pool increases up to $68,750 (25 percent above projected expenses), the pool will be closed until the summer season.
The responsibility of keeping the pool open now falls on islanders. A community survey conducted by VPD last year showed the pool as the second most wanted and most important offering of the park district behind the return of programming. If the pool is as important as that survey indicated, there should be no difficulty with finding 20 people to swim each weekend.
Remember when the health clinic closed last year and after the search for a new provider the mantra became: “Use it or lose it”? The same applies here. The Seals team acting out of its own interest, but backed by the VPD survey, is taking on a large financial risk with the possibility that the $80,000 bubble will need to be removed prematurely. It has convinced the park district to take a chance, and now the island needs to show the park district how important the pool is.
But swimming in the pool is only half of the challenge. Nine more months of swimming also means there will need to be more lifeguards, and the usual pool of students out of school will be unavailable during the off-season of October through May. Public swim hours are expected to be noon to 3 p.m. weekdays and noon to 4 p.m. weekends. Islanders interested and capable in being lifeguards during that time should contact Bonney (240-7721), sign up and complete training and become lifeguards. Without them, swimming will not be possible.
A covered pool is something that has been sought after for many years. It has finally happened. Let’s not lose it by taking this resource for granted.
