Bainbridge Island Metro Parks District commissioners aren’t sure if BI can support two swimming pools so they are hoping a private group might want to pool their resources to give the community what it needs.
The swimming community has organized a private pool group, and Commissioner Jay Kinney said at parks’ most recent meeting that he thinks the district should step back and let them explore. When they finish, maybe there can be a conversation.
Commissioner Tom Goodlin said he has a different opinion, and the board was not precluded in March from working on a replacement pool. He does not want to conclude without looking at it in greater detail that a new pool is impossible. He said the private pool group has someone who owns private property and has agreed to co-locate a pool there, but the private group would still have to pay for the pool.
He said he does not sense that there is much support, but he can continue to learn about these issues and share them with the board.
Commissioner Tom Swolgaard said someday the park district is going to have to replace the Ray Williamson pool.
Parks executive director Terry Lande said the property offered to the private pool group is adjacent to Murden Cove Creek, a salmon-bearing creek, meaning the permitting process could involve the Corps of Engineers and the Suquamish Tribe.
He said he is not opposed to the board being aware of the project, but he does have a fundamental problem with a board member attending their meetings, participating and reporting back as it will add another point of contact.
A private pool is a dream. A more practical approach would be to approach the board about adding two lanes to Ray Williamson, Lande said.
Goodlin said interested citizens were encouraged by the board to explore possibilities for a new pool.
Lande said his worry is that planning for a dream will make them miss the opportunity that exists today, which is working with the park district to rebuild the Ray Williamson pool.
The six-lane, 25-yard pool was built in 1970 as an outdoor pool. In 1977, a roof was added to enclose the pool entirely. The pool is the home site for Bainbridge High School Swimming, Diving, and Water Polo teams, BI Swim Club and the Bainbridge Aquatic Masters team.
Goodlin said he does not think the island can support two pools so maybe the district wants to be working together with the private group. The private pool group may be able to give the district information on cost as well as what is the right pool size and what the island would support. This is not something that is going to happen in the near term with the focus on the refurbishment of the Ray Williamson pool, but he thinks it is still useful.
Commissioner Dawn Janow said for her it is not something that needs to happen now. She does not think it is the board’s job to be involved in private projects. Commissioner Ken DeWitt said one of his major concerns is that it might be putting the cart before the horse because anything the park district does would be subject to the BI School District’s approval.
Kinney recapped that on March 2, the board passed a motion to direct staff to focus their energy and time on renovating the Ray Williamson pool and upon completion of that renovation look at pool replacement. He thinks the board needs to follow through with finishing the Ray Williamson pool renovation.
At that point, if the competitive swimming community wants to make a pitch to the public that they need something bigger they can do that. The problem is that a new pool is expensive, and he thinks a bond would be unlikely to pass, especially after the renovation.
Committee assignments
Commissioners also had a long discussion about committee assignments.
Janow said at the start of each year the board votes for the slate of board committees and liaisons. The last time the board policies were evaluated was in 2017. She proposed that the board update and approve the board policies by the end of the first quarter of 2024 and postpone everything else until the policies have been reviewed.
She suggested ending a forest management committee because the district now has Natural Resources manager Lydia Roush. She also said the Sakai Park committee is not needed because active recreation has been approved by the board in the form of tennis courts.
If there is a need for a committee in the future it can be created, she added.
The commission decided to end the Intergovernmental Work Group as it has been inactive. It voted to continue the capital facilities and programs committees, along with having liaisons for the school district, BI Parks & Trails Foundation and city of BI.
Exclusion memorial
Senior Planner Matthew Keough said the park district owns the property at Pritchard Park, which is the site of the BI Japanese American Exclusion Memorial, and co-manages it with several agencies. The memorial association is committed to bringing forward a visitor center, which is going to be affiliated with the National Park Service.
As part of that effort, BIJAEMA has been exploring fundraising to put in a waterline. BIJAEMA went in front of the Kitsap Public Facilities District board and asked for a $500,000 contribution. As those are public funds, KPFD needs to work with a public agency such as the park district rather than a nonprofit.
Lande said they need to make sure they can get water from a wellhead on a COBI-owned easement over to the visitor center. Park Services Division director Dan Hamlin said they cannot have a visitor center without water.
Other issues
Mary Swenson said the park district cannot spend more than the board has authorized. The General Fund is split into three divisions: recreation, parks and administration while the Capital Improvement Fund is divided by project. The General Fund must be amended due to legal fees and insurance costs being higher than expected for administration.
Park Services costs have also risen for fuel, bathroom pumping service, vehicles that were back-ordered in 2022 and inflation. Recreation had challenges with classes not filling up, and there was turnover of key staff. For 2023 the General Fund deficit will be less than previously but the budget still requires an amendment. For the Capital Improvement Fund, an amendment is needed due to inflation. The Land Acquisition Fund amendment is because of the donation for the Comcast Property.
Also, during public comments, Mary Meier, executive director of the parks foundation, said in 2023 it is granting the park district over $1 million. She reviewed the projects that it has funded or assisted with funding on. She said they are proud to do this work thanks to the generous community and citizens who love the parks.
Meanwhile, DeWitt said that Chuck Field, a former park district director and one of the founders of the parks foundation, died.
