Background information on the Shoreline Pool

The old Shoreline Pool

By Diane Hettrick

A little history

The old Shoreline Pool was built as part of the 1968 King County Forward Thrust bond.

An assessment made in 2013 showed the pool needed significant health and safety upgrades and other major maintenance to keep it operational.

In 2015, the City Council made the decision to invest $750,000 in several mid-term repairs to extend the life of the pool for another five to seven years. At the time, the contractor had to conduct a nationwide search to find some of the parts needed for the repairs as parts were no longer made for the pool’s outdated equipment.

School swim teams

The pool was used by the swim teams from Shorewood and Shorecrest. Their season lasts three months and the district runs on a lean budget, so there has never been consideration of the school district building and maintaining a pool.

Since the Shoreline pool was closed in 2021, Shorewood trains at the private Innis Arden pool and Shorecrest trains at the private Sheridan Beach pool. Both are outdoor pools and the boys season is in the winter.

The land

The land where the old pool was located belongs to the school district. It was an arrangement that worked for years but I can't think what sense it makes to build a multi-million dollar facility on someone else's land.

New picnic shelter at Shoreline Park
at the site of the old Shoreline Pool

The parks department has now built a large picnic shelter on the site, thanks to funding obtained by Sen. Jesse Salomon, and much to the delight of the Echo Lake Neighborhood Association, which finally has a place for gatherings such as its annual picnic.

Other pools

There are other nearby pools: The YMCA is a membership organization and it is not cheap. Mountlake Terrace built a very nice pool facility but they are already talking about the difficulty of getting parts and the need to replace the pool. Lynnwood has a beautiful facility that they remodeled in 2011 but they are fully scheduled. When Mountlake Terrace closes, it will be even more difficult to schedule new groups.

Who used the Shoreline Pool?

The Shoreline Pool had a full schedule of swim lessons, the swim teams, water polo, diving, lifeguard training. Beyond that there were after hours sessions for adults and children with disabilities. There were special exercise classes, water safety classes, water aerobics, diving classes, water polo teams, and mother-baby swim classes. A kayak class met late at night, learning how to right their boats after tipping over in the water. It was rented out for private parties.

I met a homeless woman who went to the pool to take a shower and never got near the pool itself. I did that myself during an extended power outage.

The previous pool bond

When the previous bond issue was on the ballot in 2019, it had a 54% yes vote but failed the 60% validation requirement required for bonds. It also included everything currently at the Spartan Gym, with the assumption that the city would no longer need the gym.

This time there was extensive public outreach to see what people wanted from a pool facility. The Spartan Gym will remain a recreation site separate from the pool.

Storage court would be the site for a new pool

New location for the pool

When the city had the opportunity to buy the storage locker property a few doors down from City Hall, they didn't hesitate, so we already own the land. The location is in the center of the city, and right along a frequent transit line and a walking trail, making it more accessible to all.

How to pay for the new pool

Revenue generated by the pool activities would cover 66% of the costs to operate and maintain the pool. The remaining 34% would need to come from other revenue sources, such as taxes.