The community has voiced a need for a public aquatic center in every District survey for the last 10 years. Actions have been taken, with a feasibility study that produced a concept plan based on community input and market analysis, and an operations plan to ensure the future center’s sustainability. Capital proposals have been brought to vote by District residents three times, in 2020, 2022 and 2023. Each time, a clear majority has voted in favor, but the required 60% super-majority has been missed by a small margin.
Si View Metro Parks remains committed to providing public aquatic services for our community. Si View Commission has considered and determined that renovation of the current Si View Pool would not meet the needs of our community due to the site’s footprint and continues discussions of what is a fair short-term level of investment in an aging facility. Providing an option for an appropriately sized public aquatic center with spaces for both recreation and competitive swimming continues to be a high priority for the District.
The current Si View Pool will continue to operate and serve the community as long as it is sustainable to do so. The pool has some critical mechanical systems that need immediate repairs. These include the pool pump, and retrofitting of the pool drains to meet new federal requirements. This necessary work will be completed in the coming months. While every effort will be taken to minimize the impact to programming, there will likely be some interruptions. Any schedule changes will be promptly shared as information becomes available.
Si View staff are working hard to maximize the use of the available space at the current Si View Pool. Swim lesson course schedules have been modified for efficiency, registration policies revised for open enrollment and priority sessions, and new staff recruited for flexibility of operations, but the pool is not designed to accommodate all needed programming today.
The District continues to actively seek partnerships and funding sources for a new aquatic facility. For an investment in a community aquatic center that will last 50 years or more, careful consideration of all potential options is in the community’s best interest as the facility will need to meet the needs of not only today but those of future generations. The District and City of North Bend are exploring a potential partnership. The City of Snoqualmie’s plan for a smaller membership-based YMCA facility on Snoqualmie Ridge is paused due to lack of funding. The School District does not have an aquatic facility plan for students.
Based on all the planning efforts to-date, an aquatic center with separated spaces for recreation and competition activities on a centrally located site that is large enough to accommodate the level of use provides the best long-term solution for the full community. The District continues to navigate this path with the goal of creating an option for our residents to consider. Si View’s professionally developed public aquatic center plan from 2019 is a community driven proposal that still checks all the identified needs with space and activities for all ages and abilities.
We encourage you to stay informed as the dialogue continues. Subscribe to our e-mail list for the latest updates or contact us directly with questions.
