The Enumclaw pool is one step closer to some major renovations.

On May 3, the King County Council approved a $1.2 million grant to upgrade the local aquatic facility, which includes making ADA upgrades to locker rooms, converting public restrooms to family changing rooms, constructing a meeting/party room rental space, and updating the exterior front of the building.

“The City of Enumclaw and all citizens that utilize the Aquatic Center are incredibly grateful to Councilmember Reagan Dunn and the entire King County Council for approving funds which will be used to improve and expand our pool facility,” Enumclaw Mayor Jan Molinaro said in a press release. “Thank you for providing our community with the needed grant award to make these improvements. Now it is time for the city to get to work and get this long-awaited project in motion.”

While this grant will help Enumclaw fund these various pool projects, which are considered Phase 1 (out of three), the city needed to match it; the local council did so in October 2021, using real estate excise tax (REET) funds.

Once the Enumclaw Council officially accepts the grant, design on Phase 1 can begin.

Construction, which is expected to begin in 2023, “will not affect programming at the pool, but there will be disruption to the entry area, so we will plan for temporary routes to the natatorium during the renovation,” said city Parks and Rec Director Michelle Larson.

Phase 2 of pool improvement includes building an exterior patio and an outdoor splash pad on the eastern end of the pool building — construction cost estimates for this phase is around $600,000.

Phase 3 will bring the most changes to the facility, as a new leisure pool and therapy/spa pools could be installed on the west side. These upgrades could cost upward of $8.5 million.

The idea of creating a special taxing district — which would cover not just Enumclaw, but unincorporated King County and possibly other nearby cities whose residents use the pool — in order to fund these improvements has been tossed about, but nothing official has moved this proposal forward in council.

“However, through King County’s current levy, another round of grants will be available to apply for in 2023 for projects in 2024 with a maximum grant amount of $5 million,” Larson said. “I have every intention of applying for that to assist in the funding for future improvements.”