Seniors, students, teachers, parents and the Mt. Rainier Swim and Dive Team--around 70 people in all--packed the Des Moines City Council meeting last Thursday voicing their support for Mt. Rainier Pool after hearing the city might terminating the pool's contract early to balance the budget.

The Mt. Rainier Swim Team showed up to the council meeting in swimsuits, goggles and blue face paint, holding a sign saying "2003 Swim and Dive Champions."

Mayor Bob Sheckler told the large group that attending the meeting it was the consensus of the council that the pool was important to the community and they were committed to funding it for as long as they could.

Young Jolie White gave an emotional plea to the council, asking them to "please not shut down Mt. Rainier Pool!"

She said she and her and her sister enjoy pretending the rubber mats are space ships. She told the council her mother had learned how to swim in the pool and now she was learning to swim there, too.

Faith Callahan, who recently celebrated her 104th birthday at the Mt. Rainier Pool, said she attributes her health to her swimming.

"I am sure that I would not be here tonight if I had not been going to that swimming pool," Callahan said.

She has been going to the pool three times a week for the last 29 years. She asked the council to please keep it open for the ones following her.

Assistant Mt. Rainier swim coach and Pacific Middle teacher Schell Ross is hopeful a solution can found to keep the pool open.

"There's nothing I can say that you don't already feel in your heart. You know how important the pool is," Ross said. "And there is nothing I can say that is going to change the fact that times are tough."

She said every problem has a solution and she believes there is a solution to this problem, too.

Her suggestion was a pool levy.

"Let the people vote on whether they are willing to use the their tax dollars to go for Mt. Rainier Pool," Ross said.

Councilman Dave Kaplan expanded on the idea proposing a Des Moines and Normandy Park Parks and Recreation levy, encompassing more than just the pool.

The pool was run and funded by King County until 2004 when the county turned it to the cities of Des Moines and Normandy Park. It is funded by the Cities of Des Moines, Normandy Park, SeaTac and by the Highline School District.

SeaTac council members have said they are committed to funding the Mt. Rainier Pool until the Highline YMCA finishes their pool being built in SeaTac. The YMCA pool would not be a competition-sized pool.

Des Moines has a contract to fund the pool until the summer of 2009 when it will be turned over to the Highline School District.

In 2008, the pool is running at about a $100,000 operating deficit. The difference is made up from funding from the school district and the cities.

Des Moines could get out of that contract early if they can show financial hardship, a possibility that was presented to the council as a way to help fill the $2.9 million city deficit.