Project Outdoor Pool

New Site

2007-11-04T14:37:00.000-08:00

Project Outdoor Pool has become Project Seattle Pools.

Please join us at the new site: http://seattlepools.org/. If you are subscribed to the old Project Outdoor Pool site, you will need to re-subscribe to the new site.

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 they still top our list of priorities. Our end goal is expanding 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.

Progress Update and Next Steps

2007-10-26T23:00:00.001-07:00

For New Readers:
Over the past few months, a group of outdoor pool enthusiasts has captured the attention of the City Council, the Parks Department and the Mayor's office. Initially, this grassroots effort focused on supporting a proposal from Councilmember David Della to fund a city-wide feasibility study for adding City pools.

Update: Feasibility Study Looks Funded
Thanks to support from the City Council and the Parks Department, money will be allocated in the existing Parks budget to fund an initial study to look at city-wide need and revenue/expense projections for outdoor pools. This is the first important step toward the ultimate community process that will lead to the identification of specific sites.

Next Steps: Parks Planning Meetings
The Parks Department will host 33 public meetings throughout Seattle over a 10-day period starting at the end of November. Community input gathered at these meetings will directly impact the Parks' Strategic Plan and thus guide the Department's decision making for years to come. If outdoor pools are possible, it will be due to community participation in these 33 meetings.

YOUR HELP IS NEEDED
To send a strong message during this critical time, please attend the Parks Planning meetings nearest you. Get the word out to your networks of friends and fellow swimmers. It will take broad support to get pools on the agenda. An Excel spreadsheet listing all meetings is available here. Meetings in Northeast Seattle include the following:

11/26 Monday 7-9pm, Montlake Community Center
11/27 Tuesday 5-7 pm, Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center
11/29 Thursday 7-9 pm, Laurelhurst Community Center
12/1 Saturday 2-4pm, Green Lake Community Center
12/4 Tuesday 6-8pm, Arboretum - Visitor's Center
12/4 Tuesday 7- 9pm, Meadowbrook Community Center
12/5 Wednesday 7-9pm, Magnuson Community Center
12/6 Thursday 7-9pm, Northgate Community Center

The preliminary announcement and description of these meetings is available here.

Magnuson Park
We'd like to get more involved in the Magnuson Park planning process through upcoming public meetings (dates TBD). Magnuson's Building 2 (147,966 square feet) does not have a clear fate and will likely be torn down. Perhaps a pool could take its place? The Parks department describes the status of Building 2 on its Magnuson Park site:

"[Request for Proposal] unsuccessful ... failed to identify any developers... mothball and consider eventual demolish; under preliminary review as possible regional skateboard facility"

Other Pool Action
A group on the Eastside (SplashForAll) has its own pool project in the works: the Eastside Regional Aquatics Complex. Their group is currently seeking letters of support for aquatics funding in the 2008 King County Budget. Their letter explains how you can help.

New Project Coordinator
Christine Larsen has transitioned to her new role on the Board of Parks Commissioners for the City of Seattle. Elizabeth Nelson will take over coordination of Project Outdoor Pool but will need help filling Christine's experienced shoes. Please contact elizabeth@outdoorpool.org to join the team. She appreciates every helping hand!

Outdoor Pool Study in Jeopardy

2007-10-16T00:04:00.000-07:00

Dear Outdoor Pool Supporters:

Seattle is on the verge of making some very big decisions related to surplus public school property, open reservoirs that will either be drained or lidded, light rail station designs, and major renovations of aged infrastructures such as the Rainer Beach Community Center and Magnuson Park Campus. We need the results of a timely pool feasibility study in order to take advantage of such opportunities before the resources are committed elsewhere. No pool can be built without professional urban planning expertise and true community process to approve pool sites.

The conversation has begun, the proposal to fund a study is on the table, but I hear from Councilmember Della's office that not enough people have written in to support this idea. He is thinking of pulling his proposal. What a shame to be this close, and let it slip away for yet another year or more.

Please Write Each Councilmember Immediately
See sample below, send your same message to each CM individually – group emails are not as effective. We must reach each of the CMs in order for Della to have the full council support. He won't get it if we don't convince the entire council that enough people support it.

david.della@seattle.gov (chair of parks committee)
Jan.drago@seattle.gov (on parks committee)
richard.conlin@seattle.gov (on parks committee)
sally.clark@seattle.gov (alternate for parks committee, chair neighborhoods committee)
richard.mciver@seattle.gov (chair of budget committee)
nick.licata@seattle.gov
peter.steinbrueck@seattle.gov
jean.godden@seattle.gov
tom.rasmussen@seattle.gov

Or, Regular Mail: Councilmember (NAME), Po Box 34025, Seattle, WA 98124-4025

Dear Councilmember (NAME): Thank you for your hard work on behalf of our citizens. Please support Councilmember Della's proposal to fund a city-wide feasibility study to site outdoor public pools in Seattle. There are currently only 2 public outdoor pools available to the entire city and both are located west of Aurora-99. Outdoor pools are community gathering places in the summer months; families stay all day, giving neighbors important time to reconnect. Unfortunately, outdoor swimming has become an exclusive activity in Seattle; waitlists for the private swim clubs are anywhere between 5-12 years long and membership fees start at $2,000. Please act now to increase the capacity of public outdoor pools. Your action will help expand the summer swim league, teach more children how to swim, and improve the quality of life for citizens in all economic groups. Thank you for your time and support!

Send written testimony one page in length, before Oct 30^th ; email to budget@seattle.gov

Ask your kids to send handwritten letters to Parks Department

Interim Superintendent Christopher Williams
c/o Seattle Parks and Recreation
100 Dexter Ave N.
Seattle, WA 98109

THANK YOU!!
Christine Larsen
(Update: Elizabeth Nelson (elizabeth@outdoorpool.org) is now the contact person for Project Outdoor Pool)

Strong Support for Pool Feasibility Study

2007-10-13T19:20:00.000-07:00

This week's City Council Budget Hearing brought out the best in Seattle's swimming community. Pool supporters attended the budget hearing in force, backed by the unanimous support of the entire Northeast District Council, a group of 20 community and business organizations. Councilmembers Della, Conlin and Clark have already offered their support for a pool feasibility study. Thank you!

Letters of support have poured in to the City Councilmembers, but there's still time to add your voice before the second and final round of hearings on October 30th. You're also encouraged to express your support at one of the neighborhood meetings with the Directors of Park Planning and Aquatics (see the top, right-hand column for schedule).

We've posted details about the pool feasibility study here. You can also read letters of support from the NE District Council and the Laurelhurst Community Club. The entire budget meeting is even available online, so you can watch Christine's presentation at 1:05:00 in the 10/10/07 video and Catherine's presentation at 1:19:00.

Christine Larsen's full testimony is available here. Excerpts:

"A city-wide study is required to properly site additional public, outdoor pools in Seattle. Right now, we only have 2 and both are located west of Aurora-99. A study of this nature ensures an appropriate level of community input.

More outdoor pools are needed to address the imbalance in our City’s offerings. A number of private swim clubs were built years ago on the east side of Seattle. Unfortunately, those clubs now have 5-12 year waitlists and membership fees of $2,000 - $25,000.

Outdoor swimming... has become an exclusive activity.

Magnolia’s Mounger Pool is a great model for a successful outdoor pool operation. In FY2006 there were 80,000 visitors and it essentially pays for itself during the months of May - September."

Catherine Clark spoke of her neighbor, a high school student who rises at 4:15 a.m. to swim in the Ballard pool at 4:45 a.m. She also spoke of her own gratitude for having access to pool facilities as a young person. These allowed her to swim her way to a college scholarship and a world of opportunities. She wants to see today's kids have similar opportunities to get involved in healthy activities.

The Council was also impressed by Catherine's supporters. Two outstanding representatives of the Seattle swimming community towered beside her: Whitney Hite, Head Coach for the Husky Swim Team, and Tommy Hannan, Husky Assistant Coach and a gold medal winner at the 2000 Olympic Games. Both Whitney and Tommy hope to see Seattle's kids have the same opportunities they enjoyed while growing up in their hometowns.

Letters Needed! Ask the City Council to Authorize a Feasibility Study

2007-10-01T00:34:00.000-07:00

Dear Outdoor Pool Enthusiasts:

Now is the time to act!

Just one simple email can make all the difference. Please send an email today! See directions below.

Councilmember Della to Propose Feasibility Study to Site Outdoor Public Pools in Seattle

Councilmember David Della has agreed to sponsor a proposal to fund a feasibility study to site more public, outdoor pools in Seattle. This piece of legislation will be up for review and approval during the City Council's budget process beginning now and ending with final vote to approve the Mayor's budget in late November. Councilmember Della will need the support of the other Councilmembers in order to succeed in passing this legislation. Councilmembers will need to hear from YOU -- their constituents-- in order to vote yes.

A feasibility study will allow Seattle Parks to hire professional urban planners along with a pool consultant to look at the entire city and ask 1) how many more outdoor pools do we need, 2) what size and 3) where should we put them. This process will take 1- 1/2 years and will involve extensive community input. This is the first important step to ensure that whatever fundraising we do in the future is time well spent on sites that have full City and community support.

This study won't make it through the budget process without your help! Councilmembers begin to listen once 20 people have contacted them. They act when they know that hundreds support the idea.

Here Is What To Do!

Compose a short (2 paragraph max) email stating your support for more outdoor public pools in Seattle. First, be sure to thank CM Della for his public service and attention to our Parks system. Then talk about why you think we need outdoor pools, what you love about the 2 pools we have, what benefits we'll derive from them, etc.
send that email, individually, to 5 councilmembers below. please note that group emails are discouraged.

Here is an example statement to get you started...

Dear Councilmember So and So:

Thank you for your hard work on behalf of our citizens. Please support Councilmember Della's proposal to fund a city-wide feasibility study to site outdoor public pools in Seattle. There are currently only 2 public outdoor pools available to the entire city and both are located west of I-5. Outdoor pools are community gathering places in the summer months; families stay all day, giving neighbors important time to reconnect. Unfortunately, outdoor swimming has become an exclusive activity in Seattle; waitlists for the private swim clubs are anywhere between 5-12 years long and membership fees start at $2,000. Please act now to increase the capacity of public outdoor pools. Your action will help expand the summer swim league, teach more children how to swim, and improve the quality of life for citizens in all economic groups.

Thank you for your time and support!

Welcome

2007-09-20T22:26:00.000-07:00

Seattle has a reservoir of swimming enthusiasm without an outlet. Expanded access to outdoor pools is long overdue. No matter where you live in the city, the water is packed. East of I-5, you'll have to belong to a private club to get into an outdoor pool. Unless you count your cousin's inflatable kid-pool, of course.

So let's get the word out! Christine has kicked off a tidal wave but we need your help. Come to the upcoming community meetings at Meadowbrook and on Capital Hill. Express your interest in this project to Seattle's Directors of Aquatics and Park Planning. Join our mailing list so that you can send emails of support to city leaders. Your voices will move this forward.

Christine is an experienced community activist (nice work on Dahl Field playground), so she knows how to shape projects into good neighbors. We're all looking forward to working hand-in-hand with the City of Seattle, Community Clubs and other groups supportive of public pools.

Please contact us by email at outdoorpoolinfo@gmail.com with any questions. You can also Subscribe to OutdoorPool.org by Email to keep up to date.