Despite some never-say-die supporters, the Carole Ann Wald Pool in St. Edward State Park in Kenmore may have officially reached the end of its days.
“Washington State Parks will proceed over the short-term to decommission the pool, remove all associated fixtures from the building and convert the space to other public uses,” said Don Hoch, the newly appointed director of the state parks and recreation commission.
Hoch made his comments in a letter sent to Kenmore Mayor David Baker on Dec. 9.
“Pursuant to our management plan,” Hoch continued, “the long-term objective for the agency is to remove the pool building from the historic landscape at Saint Edward State Park.”
“I’m very disappointed to say the least,” Baker said, noting Kenmore had supported a roughly $35,000 engineering study of the pool building. He added the city was ready to help subsidize pool operations in the future.
Kenmore traditionally had contributed $25,000 annually towards running the pool. Initially, the engineering study stated the pool needed nearly $1 million in repairs before it could be reopened. That figure later was adjusted down to $416,000, still far more than the city could afford to put into the pool on its own, officials have indicated. The architectural study also concluded the pool would need about a $1 million subsidy to keep it operating for 10 years.
Just having returned from a trip out of the country, Baker said he was at a bit of a loss to see what the city could do next to save the pool.
“I think the state has made up its mind,” Baker said. “I don’t know where we could go from here. It’s their pool.”
The pool has been closed since Dec. 30 of last year when the second private operator in less than a year pulled out of their contract, citing the pool as too much of a financial drain. Hoch said the state received no responses when it sent out a call for a new operator. The deadline to respond to the request for proposals to run the pool was the end of November. Hoch added he agrees with his predecessor that operating a pool is not among the state’s recreational priorities.
“The mission of St. Edward State Park is to protect its natural, historic and cultural resources, and provide appropriate recreation access,” Hoch said. “The operation by state parks of a community pool is not included in that mission. The building housing the pool is a non-contributing structure in the historical landscape.”
Hoch referred to the park’s management plan, which he said was developed with extensive public input.
“A swimming pool, as a community recreation facility, is primarily a local government responsibility,” the management plan reads in part, according to Hoch.
“We have spent a great amount of our limited staff time on this issue over the last several years,” Hoch continued, adding his department is facing what he called drastic service reductions and lay-offs in response to the state budget crisis.
“It is my opinion,” Hoch added, “that it is time to move on… I am directing that no additional staff time or resources be spent to maintain the pool effective immediately.”
Hoch’s letter did not mention any specific timetable for the permanent mothballing or removal of the pool.
Last month, the grassroots group the Friends of St. Edward State Park said they were considering a fund raising drive to try and save the pool, but leaders also said no decision had been made. Those same leaders could not be immediately reached for comment after Hoch’s letter become public early this week.
In an e-mail circulating among the Friends, pool supporter Ann Hurst objected to the Wald pool being characterized as not part of the St. Edward landscape.
When the park was nominated to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places, Hurst said the pool building wasn’t included in the nominating papers only because the building was not yet 50 years old at that time. She said she hoped historical reasons would not now be used to raze the pool building.
