State parks officials still are trying to work out a few details on a new contract that should lead to the reopening of the Carole Ann Wald Pool in Kenmore’s St. Edward Park.

Puget Sound regional director for the parks commissions, Don Hoch said he had hoped to have inked a deal with Mill Creek’s West Coast Aquatics the last week in March. However, Hoch said the state attorney general’s office came up with a few last minute objections to the proposed pact.

According to Hoch, the hope became that something would fall into place by mid April. No definitive announcement had reached the Bothell-Kenmore Reporter by the deadline for this issue.

“We are still very optimistic we can get something done,” Hoch said.

If and when the state reaches an agreement with West Coast, Hoch added the Wald pool is not ready for an immediate reopening. He said the state is taking advantage of the closure of the pool to complete some needed repairs. Hoch didn’t offer an estimate as to when that work might be completed.

The Wald pool closed its doors Feb. 23 when the parks commission and former operator, Seattle’s Northwest Center, couldn’t come to terms on a contract extension.

A certified non-profit organization, West Coast already operates the Mill Creek Swim Club, a pool which is open to the public in that city. The state parks commission settled on the group as a potential new operator for the Wald facility after sending out a request for operational proposals in early March.

In the past, Hoch has declined to say why West Coast won the state’s approval or even if there were other suitors for the pool. At one point, officials for St. Edward Park neighbor Bastyr University had expressed a willingness to explore taking over the pool.

Former operator’s Northwest Center cut their connections to the facility when the state proposed slicing much of its financial support.

The state had been throwing in about $55,000 annually towards pool operations, dollars which went directly to Northwest. The parks commission proposed not only eliminating that funding, but also suggested any pool operator would need to come up with what was described as a substantial portion of the pool’s utility costs.