By Lindsay Peyton
King County Council Chair Joe McDermott made a special appearance at Evergreen Community Aquatic Center in White Center on Tuesday, Aug. 15.
He carried an oversized check – representing a $61,300 grant to the center from King County.
Bryan Hastings, president of Whitewater Aquatics Management, the nonprofit in charge of managing the pool, said that King County has already awarded the aquatic center with a total of $500,000 over the years.
“Without that effort, the communities of White Center and Burien wouldn’t have a pool anywhere near here for at least 12 miles,” he said.
Thanks to the county’s continued support, Evergreen Pool has taught almost 13,000 kids to swim.
McDermott explained that King County used to operate the center.
“In 2009, in the wake of the great recession and severe budget cuts to King County, we were in a position to seriously contemplate closing Evergreen Pool,” he said.
Instead, the county turned the facility over to Whitewater.
“When we took the pool over, we did an engineering audit,” Hastings said. “Really all the systems in the pool, which were circa 1967, had not been replaced or repaired. They were horribly inefficient. They needed to be replaced.”
He said that there are 12 mechanical systems in the pool – and nine have been entirely replaced.
“They’re efficient, they’re green and they have a life expectancy of 30 to 40 years,” Hastings said. “This pool has been around for 47 years and we expect it to be for another 50 years.”
McDermott said the current grant will be used to replace more mechanical systems and to fix the showers. The pool currently has only two showerheads for the entire men’s restroom.
The existing showers were beyond repair, Hastings said. “The pieces aren’t made anymore,” he said. “Its lifespan was 20 years, and we’re at year 47.”
The grant came from King County’s Youth and Amateur Sports Fund.
“Without King County, we wouldn’t have survived,” Hastings said. “They’ve allowed us to remain open and to reduce the cost of utilities.”
He said utility costs with the old mechanical systems could be as high as $13,000 a month. Now the steepest monthly bill is closer to $4,000.
Evergreen Community Aquatic Center, 606 SW 116th St, is a nine-lane, multi-purpose pool. The facility offers free or subsidized swim lessons to members of the community.
The pool also partners with Mary’s Place, a neighborhood shelter for families in need to offer showers and swim lessons for its clients.
For more information about Evergreen Community Aquatic Center, www.teamunify.com/Home.jsp?team=cmwaecac.
