Over the years I have been a runner, a community club swim team member, a soccer club member, and a rower. As I’ve aged, I’ve found that my body doesn’t handle these forms of exercise as well as it once did. Knees, shoulders, back and wrist issues have slowed me down.

As an alternative, I’ve turned to lap swimming, which is fun, meditative, easy on the joints, and great aerobic exercise. It’s perfect for an old guy like me. So every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evening you’ll find me at the Vashon Community (Park District) Pool, getting my laps in.

Strangely enough, I’m frequently the only person in the pool during these evening swim sessions. How could that be? Swimming is a terrific way to transition from a busy day to a pleasant evening. It’s a perfect time for commuters to get their laps in. It’s a great time for commuting parents to take a swim with their kids.

My suspicion is that most islanders just don’t know that this combination lap swim/family swim even exists, even though it’s on the VPD web site.

Here are some pool facts for those who aren’t familiar with the facility or its programs.

Our pool is twenty-five yards long by six lanes wide. It is located on the southeast corner of Vashon Island School District property on SW 204th.

Although it was built originally to be a seasonal outdoor pool, it has been open year-round for the last several years mostly due to the efforts of the Seals Swim Team parents’ campaign to secure the donations that paid for the inflated dome that now covers the pool for six months of the year.

In recent years we have made small improvements that included, in 2016, improvements to the bathhouse and upgrades to the boiler and main drain funded by a $75,000 King County Youth Sport Facility Grant. In 2021, we were awarded a $100,000 King County Aquatic Facilities grant which will pay for a dome replacement, a new slide, a hot water heater, thermal cover, and a new burner for the boiler.

In the not-too-distant future, through additional grant funding, we hope to be able to replace the deck around the pool, refurbish the tile work at the pool edge, improve the gutter system and replace the failing plaster liner.

Our dream is a retractable roof, which will be attached to the pool house and will allow sunlight in through acrylic panels during the cold months. It will be fully retracted during warmer months, satisfying the requirements of users who strongly desire that the pool remain an outdoor facility during the summer.

The roof project will require additional grant funding and likely local fundraising.

It should be said that most of our planned capital improvement program funding is from grants and donations — not from your property taxes.

The pool is open on Monday and Wednesday evenings between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Friday evenings between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.

It is also open for similar lap/open-swim sessions on Saturdays from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. For these sessions, one side of the pool is set up with lane markers for lap swimming, with the other side of the pool left wide open for family swim. The guards can alter the proportion of pool dedicated to lap swimming or family swim as required by the number of swimmers who show up.

The pool water is heated to around 84 degrees, and the air under the dome is heated by circulating pool water from the boiler to take the chill off.

For family swim, the first family member pays the normal rate, and the price for each additional family member is just $2.10. What a deal!

And another thing about our pool: The users are a dedicated community of great friends. They are very welcoming of newcomers. There’s no reason for hesitation.

You should give it a try. It’s great exercise and great fun. See you there.

Bob McMahon is a Vashon Park District commissioner.