Mission: Project Seattle Pools is a grass-roots community organization dedicated to enhancing aquatic opportunities for Seattle citizens of all ages and abilities, living in all economic and geographic sectors of our City. 

Background & Vision:  Team members hail from throughout our lovely city — North to South, East to West.  Efforts began independently in the NE and SE and merged.  All of us have the same message:  It’s time to modernize and expand Seattle’s aging system of public pools.

Swimming provides healthy opportunities for all ages and abilities, but it is fast becoming an exclusive activity. Space and time to swim are hard to find unless you can afford private clubs or drive beyond city limits.

Our city’s pool needs span the spectrum– from warm-water pools for senior exercise programs and kids’ lessons, to water slides for drawing teens into healthy activities.  Only two public, outdoor pools exist in Seattle today and they are both located on the far western edge of the city.  No public pool in Seattle has a graduated-entry ramp for wheelchairs.  Many existing pool facilities are beyond capacity (kids are being turned away from swim lessons).  Most were built for hosting only one type of activity at a time.

Modern aquatic facilities have varied bodies of water that allow multiple activities to happen at the same time.  Serving a broad spectrum of citizens at once allows pools like Mounger and Montlake Terrace to cover most of their operating costs through moderate admission fees.  Mounger outdoor pool covers 87% of its costs while Montlake Terrace indoor pool covers 78%.  Seattle can build on these models to update its existing pools and add new ones (indoor and outdoor) in a cost-effective manner.

To stay informed: Use the text box in the right-hand column to subscribe to this site and keep up-to-date on where to direct your pool advocacy. 

For more information or to join the team: Contact Elizabeth.

Core Team

Elizabeth Nelson, Citywide Coordinator.  elizabeth@seattlepools.org
Elizabeth values the health benefits of swimming and hopes to see public pools become more easily accessible to Seattleites of all ages and physical abilities.  She is a co-founder of Project Seattle Pools. LinkedIn Bio.

Christine Larsen,  Northeast Coordinator. christine@seattlepools.org
Christine co-founded Project Seattle Pools.  She’s a mother of young kids who love swimming in outdoor pools.   She believes in equitable access to recreation in all sectors of our great city.

Christine is the Founder and Past-Chair of Friends of Dahl Playfield, a member of the Citywide Skate Park Task Force, a Board Member of Eland (promoting the health and welfare of the Maasai people of Kenya) and a member of the Washington Women’s Foundation. She is a former project manager at Andersen Consulting and served in the Peace Corps in Micronesia.

Michelle C. Kondo, Ph.D.,  Urban Planner.
Michelle C. Kondo holds a PhD in urban planning from the University of Washington and is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Seattle University in the Institute of Public Service.  She has years of professional experience in engineering and environmental consulting and city planning.  During the 2008-2009 academic year, she will lead Masters-level students in researching pool accessibility and leading community outreach.  These efforts will augment the City’s pool planning work. LinkedIn Bio.