Seattle Parks and Recreation invites community to learn about Colman Pool maintenance project
Seattle Parks and Recreation invites community to learn about Colman Pool maintenance project
The mural in the lobby for Colman Pool has been there (though restored a few years ago) since the pool was built in 1941.
Photo by Patrick Robinson
Tue, 07/12/2022
Information from Seattle Parks and Recreation
Seattle Parks and Recreation invites the community to Colman Pool on Sunday, July 17 from noon to 2 p.m. to learn about and provide input on an upcoming maintenance and improvement project at the pool. Colman Pool is in Lincoln Park at 8603 Fauntleroy Way SW in West Seattle.
Colman Pool being filled. Photo by Patrick Robinson
Colman Pool, originally constructed in 1941, is one of only two public outdoor pools in Seattle and the only public salt-water pool in King County. Its scenic location on the beach of Lincoln Park offers a unique experience that boasts 50-meter swim lanes and occasional orca sightings. The pool is regularly used for practice by swim teams as well as by recreational lap swimmers.
The current locker rooms remain largely unchanged since their original construction and numerous accessibility barriers have been documented, which prevent potential users of all abilities from easily accessing the pool. Many of the cast-iron pipes and components of the sand filter system that draws water from Puget Sound for swimming are also original, and the main bathhouse building is unreinforced masonry (URM).
The goal of the upcoming maintenance project is to renovate the locker rooms to increase access for people of all abilities, provide family and non-gender-specific restrooms and changing areas (none currently exist), improve the caretaker residence, and provide several other improvements throughout the bathhouse and on the pool deck that will increase access to all users.
The filtration equipment is in need of updating. Photo by Patrick Robinson
The aging pipe system leaks rather badly. Photo by Patrick Robinson
This project will also provide general much-needed updates to the unique operation-critical filter equipment essential for drawing and filtering water from Puget Sound, and reinforcement to the walls to ensure that building occupants can safely withstand an earthquake. These improvements will allow Colman Pool to continue to serve new generations of users into the future.
