Pool supporters attended the first Magnuson Park Open House to learn about renovation plans for the Park. Magnuson Park is just one of many sites that the City could eventually consider for pools. There is certainly no pool proposal on the table for Magnuson (or any other site) right now, despite the implication of the Seattle PI article today.
Highlights from today:
The Parks Department must hear a city-wide call for pool space before it will prioritize pools. The Seattle Parks Department says it must see clear support for pools ACROSS Seattle, not just in one part of the city, before it can prioritize pools in its Strategic Plan. Please help us get pools into the Strategic Plan! Here’s how:
1. Speak for pools at one of the Parks Dept. Strategic Planning Public Meetings (Nov. 26 - Dec. 6). Meetings outside of NE Seattle are not yet well-covered by swimmers.
2. Ask your friends in other parts of the city to speak for pools at the Parks Strategic Planning Public Meetings in their own neighborhoods. You can send them our outreach letter, our Flyer or our url: www.seattlepools.org. All areas of the City will be considered by the Parks Department for any eventual pools.
Electronic Alternative: If you can’t attend of the meetings, you can now use the new Parks Department Survey to comment on the need for pools. Pool supporters can also email comments to Susanne, the Parks Department Strategic Plan coordinator: Susanne.Friedman@Seattle.Gov. We’ve heard that in-person attendance at the planning meetings has the largest impact, but all comments are influential. Thank you!!
Building 2 at Magnuson is still available. We confirmed that there are no imminent plans on the table for Building 2 at Magnuson. This large hanger will likely be torn down. Building 2 has an unblocked view of the water from its North side (map).
The old pool at Magnuson is beyond repair. The old, military pool in Building 47 at Magnuson was described by a Park official as "right out of a horror movie." It isn’t salvageable. Bringing this mothballed pool up to code and replacing its systems would cost more than building anew.
Interested in Magnuson Park as a potential site for public pools? Today (Saturday, Nov. 17th, 11am-1:30pm), you can attend the first of three "Community Vision" open houses for Magnuson Park. Two more open houses happen on the 19th and 27th.
The Parks Department calls these open houses "opportunities for public comment," so you’re welcome to attend and tell Parks Department representatives that you would like to see a public pool at Magnuson or elsewhere. Or pools!
Note: These meetings are not the same as the Parks Strategic Planning meetings, so if you only have time to attend one meeting, you may wish to attend one of the Strategic Planning Meetings instead.
Details on the Magnuson Open Houses from the Parks web site:
Public Invited To Open Houses On "Community Vision" For
The Open Houses will be held on:
- Saturday, Nov. 17 11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
- Monday, Nov. 19 5 - 7:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, Nov. 27 6:30 - 9 p.m.
All Open Houses will be held at
Parks issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) in 2005 to improve the park. That process resulted in proposals for:
- Arena Sports to renovate Building 27 and create an active indoor recreation facility
- Building 11 LLC to renovate Building 11 and manage a range of recreation-oriented mixed-use activities
- Civic Light Opera (CLO) to renovate and manage the theater in the
- Cascade Bicycle Club to renovate Building 18 as the NW Center for Cycling
- Seattle Court Sports Unlimited (SCSU) to create a new indoor/outdoor tennis center north of
- Sand Points Arts and Cultural Exchange’s (SPACE) proposal to renovate the west wing of Building 30 for artist’s studios
For more detailed information about these proposals or the Open Houses, please visit: www.seattle.gov/parks/magnuson/. Additional information may be obtained by contacting Eric Friedli, Enterprise Division Director at 206-684-8369 or eric.friedli@seattle.gov.
Updates & Plan to Get Pools into the Parks Department Strategic Plan
06 Nov
Posted by admin as Uncategorized
Summary
- Next Step. Get pools into the Parks Dept.’s Strategic Plan. Please attend Parks Dept. meetings in your neighborhood in late November.
- Progress Thus Far. An initial feasibility study for new pools will be funded. It’s a smaller study than we’d hoped to see, but it’s a great first step. Your calls and letters to City Councilmembers made this happen. Nice work, pool team!
- New Name/Site/ Leadership. We’ve become Project Seattle Pools (www.seattlepools.org) and Elizabeth Nelson is now the project coordinator. She needs a team.
Next Step. Get pools into the Seattle Parks Dept.’s new Strategic Plan
- How? Community members like you need to attend public meetings in late November to get pools prioritized in the new Parks Strategic Plan. You can help boost attendance by posting our Flyer in your neighborhood.
- Why? Parks will prioritize investments for the next 5+ years based on community feedback at these 33 community meetings. Broad representation at the majority of these meetings is what is needed to convince Parks to invest in pools beyond an initial study.
- Who? If you have friends in other parts of the city, ask one of them to attend a meeting in their neighborhood.
- Where/When? Our site lists all the meetings and whether there’s a pool rep scheduled to attend each one. Email Elizabeth if you can cover a meeting and she’ll add you to the list on our site. There’s also a map and more info on the City’s site.
Progress Thus Far: Initial Feasibility Study Funded
- Funding. Because of your letters, the Seattle Parks Department found money in their existing budget to cover the cost of an initial feasibility study. [Details: Councilmember Della will not propose the study as originally conceived and funding will not be part of the Mayor’s budget. Lots o’ politics, but a reasonable end result.]
- Future. The result of the initial study will be a business case to better understand the costs and benefits associated with indoor and outdoor pools, and a needs assessment of current beach and existing pool use. This initial study will inform the process for moving ahead and is the first step towards identifying pool sites. For the full future trajectory, see History and Future on our site.
New Name/Site/Leadership
- Name. We’ve become Project Seattle Pools. Pools of any kind and in any location will only get built when City leaders hear a wide-ranging call for pools. Changing our name helps us broaden support and advocate more effectively for pool space. Kathy Whitman, Aquatics Manager for the City of Seattle, considers outdoor pools to be an exceptionally cost-effective way to add pool capacity, so outdoor pools still top our list of priorities. Our end goal is to expand pool space in our city in a cost-effective, community-friendly manner. Outdoor pools, indoor pools, 50 meter pools, rehab/therapy pools… the need for all of these is clear when existing facilities are overflowing.
- Site. We’ve moved to: www.seattlepools.org.
- Lead. Elizabeth Nelson has taken over Christine’s coordination role. She would like to form a network of pool reps (see below) and—ideally– a core leadership team. She won’t be able to fill Christine’s big shoes alone. Christine’s dedication continues to serve Parks in her neat new role.
Pool Reps Needed
It will take a broad-based movement to get pools built in Seattle. We need your help to leverage your networks and reach out to your community. Roles we need filled:
- Swim Team & Masters Team Reps. Post fliers at team practices. Email your team members. Speak up at team meetings. Chat with other parents in the bleachers. Get info into team newsletters.
- School Reps. Make sure announcements get into your school’s newsletters.
- Community Club Reps. Ask your Community Club to write a letter of support. Get info into your neighborhood’s newsletter. Put up fliers in your neighborhood.
- Private Pool Reps. Even though private pool members already have access to pools, they know friends who can’t get in off of waiting lists. Can you get the word out to members and wait lists?
- Core Leadership Team Members. Email Elizabeth if you’d like to help lead this project.
Bonus for Volunteer Reps: An email address @seattlepools.org if you’d like one.
Other Ways To Make A Difference:
- Write to (soon-to-be-confirmed) Superintendent Tim Gallagher, Seattle Parks and Recreation, 100 Dexter Ave N.,Seattle, WA 98109. Tell him why outdoor swimming is so important. Better yet, have your child write to him!
- Write to Mayor Greg Nickels, PO Box 94749 Seattle, WA 98124-4749. Tell him why pools (particularly outdoor pools) "build strong families and healthy communities," one of his key initiatives.
Summary: Recent Community Meetings.
Thank you for attending the community meetings held at Miller and Meadowbrook Community Centers mid-October. Senior Parks staff members were present at both meetings. Comments included private club waitlist woes, transportation issues, how swimming is great for all ages and abilities, how we live in a water culture and should build skills for our children’s safety, and potential locations for pools (existing parks, new lands, surplus public school property, lidded reservoirs), and how outdoor swimming is a childhood essential. Kathy Whitman from Seattle Parks talked about the importance of multiple bodies of water and shallow water space in any future designs as these elements lead to higher revenues and greater pool success.
Thanks for your support and enthusiasm.
Project Outdoor Pool has become Project Seattle Pools. If you are subscribed to our old site, you will need to re-subscribe to the new one.
We made this change because recent community meetings demonstrated a broad and deep need for pool space, not just outdoor pools. Kathy Whitman, Aquatics Manager for the City of Seattle, considers outdoor pools to be an exceptionally cost-effective way to add pool capacity, so outdoor pools still top our list of priorities. Our end goal is to expand pool space in our city in a cost-effective , community-friendly manner. Outdoor pools, indoor pools, 50 meter pools, rehab pools… the need for all of these is clear when existing facilities are overflowing.
Please email elizabeth@seattlepools.org if you’d like to join the Project Seattle Pools team.
