PORT ANGELES — Children of all ages were splish-splashing at the William Shore Memorial Pool in a battle to collect as many candy-filled eggs as possible.
Jayna Lafferty, pool director, declared the Easter egg hunt a success.
“We have about 130 people here — that is about double from last year,” she said.
The Easter egg hunt — which was held a week ahead of the actual date of Easter — also drew many donations, she said.
Donations included about $300 from QFC in Sequim, plastic eggs from Wal-Mart and prizes and candy from Wal-Mart, Albertsons and Safeway.
When making the announcement to allow the children to go into the water, Lafferty told them to return the plastic eggshells after they removed the candy.
“We will need them when we do this next year,” she said. “Because we will be here next year.”
After all the eggs were found, parents sat on the sidelines as many ofthe children continued to swim and play in the water.
Jennifer Roggenbuck of Port Angeles brought her son Michael, 8, to the hunt for the first time but said they were no strangers to the pool.
“We swim here often, and we saw they were doing this,” she said.
“We usually go to Shane Park for the hunt there, but we thought this would be fun.
“I’m really glad they are doing this.”
Regular customers
Don Hubbard of Port Angeles said he and his son Nicholas, 8, are at the pool about every other week.
“I can’t believe they could even think about closing the pool,” he said.
“This event is great — look at all the kids.
“If all of the parents could get more involved and have it more like this every weekend, it would help,” he said, adding that often when he is at the pool during the weekends it was not as full.”
Melissa Kanas of Sequim said she often drives her two children — Augustis, 11, and Nicodemus, 3 — to swim at the pool during the summer.
“This is a great Easter event,” she said.
Proceeds help pool
“I also like that the proceeds will go to help keep this pool open,” she added, calling the pool a “community centerpiece.”
“It is such a great idea.
“I never would have thought of having an Easter egg hunt in the water.”
The City Council, facing budget constraints, announced last September that the pool would close at the end of 2008 unless a plan could be implemented to make up the funding gap.
It extended that deadline in December to allow Save the Pool PA to collect donations.
Voters will decide in a May 19 election if a metropolitan parks district should be created to support the pool.
If it is approved, the pool district, which would have the same boundary as the Port Angeles School District, would have to raise about $400,000 annually to operate the pool.
The estimated tax rate would be 15 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation, which would mean the owner of a $200,000 home would pay about $30 per year in taxes.
The budget for the pool also includes about $50,000 for maintenance such as replacing piping and pumps.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.
