The Enumclaw pool is getting a boost from King County for some much-needed repairs and upgrades.

On Sept. 6, King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn announced the city will be receiving a grant of just over $526,300 to repair its roof and upgrade its HVAC system; according to Dunn, the roof had reached “the end of its useful life”.

“The Enumclaw Aquatic Center is a treasured resource not only in Enumclaw, but across the entire plateau,” Dunn said in a press release. “I’m pleased that this critical roof replacement will preserve the longevity of the pool as a place for family fun, exercise, and friendly competition in our community.”

“The City of Enumclaw and all aquatic patrons are grateful to Councilmember Reagan Dunn and the King County Council for the grant,” Enumclaw Mayor Jan Molinaro added. “Continuing to make improvements to the Aquatic Center not only extends its years of life and use for the community, but will provide the continued opportunity in offering programs for young children learning to swim, and to those who need the pool for water exercises.”

The Enumclaw City Council first has to accept the grant before any sort of designs can be finalized, let alone bidding and construction. It’s possible that construction, hoped to be done in August 2024 during the pool’s regular week-long closure, could necessitate a longer closing period, but that is yet to be determined, said Enumclaw Parks and Rec Director Alina Hibbs.

The grant originates from the King County Parks Levy Grants, which supports all sorts of recreation programs around the county like open space acquisition, active recreation, passive recreation, and local trails.

INVESTED INTEREST

This is not the first time county funds have been sent Enumclaw’s way for the pool.

Back in spring 2022, the King County Council approved a $1.2 million grant for the aquatic center to help make locker rooms more ADA accessible, convert the public restrooms to family changing rooms, construct a meeting/party room rental space, and update the exterior front of the building. This work, which “hopefully” won’t impact pool access, is going out to bid this fall and will take approximately 9 months to complete, said Hibbs.

The Enumclaw City Council has expressed interest in continuing to upgrade the pool.

The previous project, deemed Phase 1, could later be followed by Phase 2, where the city could build an exterior patio and a splash pad.

But it’s a proposed Phase 3 that could really make some changes. As of last 2022, the estimated $8.5 million project might include a leisure pool and therapy/spa pools, but plans — and funding — have not yet been cemented.