PORT ANGELES — Nearly two years after Port Angeles’ public pool found itself on the city’s chopping block, the 48-year-old facility will reopen its doors this month under the full management of the taxing district formed by voters to save it.
The William Shore Memorial Pool District, named after the pool, took over full management of the facility from the city on June 1.
The pool at 225 E. Fifth St. — the only public pool in town — has been closed since the first of the month for annual maintenance and will reopen June 20.
But don’t expect business as usual once the doors are reopened.
Pool staff, helped by a wave of support from pool users that has yet to crest, are promising changes that go beyond merely putting up a new sign.
Adds Wi-Fi
When it reopens, the pool will begin offering Wi-Fi and using electronic cards which swimmers can use to pay fees.
It will also have two full-time supervisor positions that were reduced to part time when the city proposed closing the facility.
But along with returning to the former staffing level and moving to become more user-friendly, the pool staff, commissioners and advisory committee members also are working to improve the facility and make it more energy-efficient.
As Steve Burke, spokesman for the park district’s citizen advisory committee, simply puts it, the pool “is not going away.”
“In fact . . . it’s growing,” he said.
“You will see changes and improvements over the next several years.”
Some of the most recent changes are nothing extravagant, but pool staff say it will help lower the facility’s operating costs.
They include fixing a pool cover that was out of commission for the last three years, training supervisors to do as much maintenance as possible and installing a faucet on the west side of the pool to reduce cleanup time.
“They are little steps to make savings along the way,” said Leah Gould, pool program coordinator.
The park district will continue to contract with the city for the most labor-intensive maintenance work.
To help lower maintenance costs further, pool staff say they are considering purchasing an automated chlorine system.
That would cost between $3,000 to $5,000, said interim Pool Director Jayna Lafferty.
But what about attendance?
Attendance now rising
Lafferty said that’s on the rise and a “smidge” higher than it was before the city announced in September 2008 that it could no longer afford to fund the pool.
Attendance dropped significantly then because of uncertainty about whether the pool would stay open, she said.
That dip continued through early 2009 as voters considered whether to keep the pool going through a property tax of about 15 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation.
But this year, through April, when compared with the same time period in 2009, attendance is up 31 percent and revenue is up 43 percent, according to the pool district.
Lafferty attributed that increase to people having confidence that the pool is here to stay and to more lesson programs.
“People knowing that the pool is going to be around is huge,” she said.
Mike Chapman, pool district chairman, said the commission had formed its budget based on last year’s revenue.
The increased attendance will likely allow the pool district to pay off its loans with the county, totaling just under $200,000, in three years rather than five, he said.
Pool lifespan
And what about the lifespan of the pool, which was estimated at 40 years when it opened in 1962?
That remains undetermined, but pool staff, commissioners and advisory committee members appear confident that the pool has not reached its limit.
With enough maintenance, they estimate it could be around for another 15 to 25 years.
“It’s in really good shape for being a nearly 50-year-old pool,” Lafferty said.
Burke, who used to build large pools for a living, agreed.
“The design and construction is very solid,” he said.
But it will take a detailed inspection to know for sure, Burke said.
Chapman said the commission will likely consider approval of such an assessment this year.
For more information, visit www.williamshorepool.org or phone 360-417-4595.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
