On August 28th, Kathy Whitman (Director of Aquatics for the Seattle Parks Department) and Elizabeth (city-wide coordinator for Project Seattle Pools) will each present 5 minute briefings to the Parks Board of Commissioners. 

There is a small amount of time available for public comment; however, this is not a full hearing on pools, so we are not calling on pool supporters to attend and testify.  You (and all members of the public) are certainly still welcome.

Briefing Materials:

• Briefing Paper from Project Seattle Pools 8/13/08
• Briefing Paper from Kathy Whitman 8/19/08

Supplemental Materials:

• Our Fact Sheet (supports the case for pools)
• Our Comprehensive Aquatics Plan Proposal
• Preliminary Outdoor Pool Study (2008, prepared by Parks)
• Trends in Pool Modernization and Seattle Status (2002, prepared by Parks).

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Overview

Planning is necessary to build the long-term vision of how our city can meet its citizens’ needs for healthy swimming opportunities.  Only through the public process such a plan would provide can we build broad consensus on priorities and methods for addressing all aspects of costs.  Ongoing maintenance and operational costs are a mounting challenge for the Parks Department as a whole, but these issues are particularly problematic for our aging pool system. 

The CAP would provide a timely “case study” of possible ways to address costs (operations, maintenance, capital and programming) — from optimizing existing facilities to identifying potential new revenue streams.  Its recommendations may include new facilities and/or retrofitting existing facilities to meet evolving needs (e.g., slides for teens or warm water pools for seniors that double as teaching pools for kids).  It would not commit funds; rather, it would evaluate a range of funding options that could be considered by city leaders and communities. 

Inputs

• Analysis of Funding Mechanisms (both capital and long-term)
• Targeted outreach to underserved populations, plus outreach via traditional channels
• Analysis of demographics, accessibility, transit and needs (both baseline and trends)
• Review of existing infrastructure, programming and Parks studies
• Modern best-practices for sustainable facility design (both new and existing facilities)
• Basic design and engineering sufficient for costing 

Deliverables

The plan would provide a blueprint for improving our pool system as funds become available through a future levy, grants, fundraising efforts or other mechanisms.  Plan deliverables would include:

• An analysis of funding options for ongoing operational and maintenance costs that would provide a “case study” for an issue broadly challenging the Parks Department.
• A review of existing conditions and needs, spanning both programming and facilities.
• Prioritization of future projects and programs based on equity, community feedback, site practicality and all costs, from capital to long-term.
• Estimates of costs sufficiently robust for projects to be included in the 2010 Parks Levy.

Prioritized projects could include modifications to existing facilities that would reduce ongoing costs (e.g., converting wading pools to spray parks), enhance revenues (e.g., adding warm-water teaching pools to increase the capacity) or meet the needs of underserved populations (e.g., adding slides to attract teens).  Its recommendations could also include adding new facilities (e.g., outdoor pools that follow Mounger pool’s model to achieve high cost-recovery rates).  

Cost Estimate: $225,000

• $50,000: Financial Planning (analysis of funding mechanisms for ongoing costs)
• $75,000: Urban Planning (professional services)
• $50,000: Design and Engineering (including life-cycle facility planning and site analysis)
• $50,000: Parks Staff Time (costs off-set by in-kind contributions)

Deadline:  2010 Parks Levy

The plan must be finalized and approved in time for its insights and recommendations to be used in shaping the 2010 Parks Levy.  City Council Resolution 31073 recommends that the 2010 levy address unmet swimming needs, among other needs.

Note:  This Word file contains the most recent, revised CAP proposal. 

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When you’re done drooling over the unbelievable "Water Cube" Olympic venue (see the official photos), you’ll find the following two articles on gold-medal swimmer Cullen Jones thought-provoking:

• Cullen Jones Makes Waves: Swimmer Aims for the Games, And a Safer Community (Wall Street Journal, 6/28/08)
• Despite Olympic Gold, Swimming Statistics Are Grim (New York Times, 8/11/08):

"Watching the American men’s relay team swim for gold in Beijing, it’s hard to believe the United States has a swimming problem.

But there’s little to celebrate about the state of American swimming at home. In 2005, there were 3,582 unintentional drownings in the United States, averaging 10 deaths per day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Drowning is the second-leading cause of accidental death among children.

But the most worrisome statistics involve black children and teens ages 5 to 19, who are 2.3 times more likely to drown than whites in this age group. For children 10 to 14, the rate is five times higher.

Nearly 6 out of 10 African-American and Hispanic children are unable to swim, nearly twice as many as their Caucasian counterparts, a concern often highlighted by U.S. Olympian Cullen Jones, who is African-American and swam the third leg of the winning men’s relay this week.

In June, The Wall Street Journal profiled Cullen Jones and his efforts to raise awareness about swimming among African-American children. In that report, Mr. Jones said members of his own family still ask him why he chose the sport. “They’ll say, ‘Don’t you know blacks don’t swim?’ ” Mr. Jones told the paper. (To read the article, click here.)…"

An inspiring Olympic story:  A Disabled Swimmer’s Dream (NY Times, 6/18/08)

"SAN DIEGO — As Kendall Bailey swims, his praying-mantis limbs flapping him forward, something about the water disguises his many maladies: cerebral palsy, mental retardation, autism and more. Only in a swimming pool do they dissolve and allow his troubled body and mind to be all but normal. He is happy, safe and possibly the fastest disabled breaststroker in the world…"

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Attendees:  19 pool team members engaged in high-energy planning and idea-sharing in the garden until we were swimming in rain. 

Handouts:  Agenda, Old Draft Proposal for Aquatics Plan, Flyers, Fact Sheet, Model Endorsement Letter, Evolution of the Skate Park Plan & About Us

Path of Action:  Pursue Funding for a Comprehensive Aquatics Plan

Now — Mid-September:

• Fundraising and Outreach.  The Agenda links to outreach materials. 
• Present planning requests to the Parks Board of Commissioners (August 28^th)

Mid-September – October:  Engage in City Council’s Budget Review Process

• Show strong public support for all aquatics elements that appear in the Mayor’s budget.  Encourage testimony in writing and in person.
• Appeal to Council to fund the Aquatics Plan in the biannual budget. 
• Offer to assist with fund raising to leverage the pubic funds needed for planning.
  
• Stress the importance of doing costing/planning before the 2010 levy covering pools (recommended by City Council Resolution 37013). 
• Emphasize how the plan would investigate ways to reduce the cost of existing facilities, plus address revenue streams for ongoing operations and maintenance.  Examples:
  • Upgrade Rainier Beach facility (reduce maintenance costs)
  • Convert wading pools to spray parks (conserve water)
  • Add warm-water teaching pools alongside existing pools (increase capacity of facilities and increase revenues)
  • Improve energy efficiency of facilities
  • Add slides (enhance popularity of & revenue from less-used facilities).
  • Consider funding options that could augment income from user fees.
• Stress that the City Council needs to make a commitment to work to find innovative solutions for funding ongoing maintenance & operation of Parks and Recreation facilities, especially pools.

Noteworthy Challenges:

• Parks just considered closing facilities (including pools) to cover its $6 million budget cut this year.
• Identifying reliable funding streams to pay for long-term operational and maintenance costs is the prime blocker for new or enhanced Parks facilities of any kind, including pools.

Please email elizabeth@seattlepools.org to request the full meeting notes.

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Your levy lobbying paid off even better than we realized — pools are called out for more than "just" the priority list for the next levy, tentatively proposed for 2010 by City Council Resolution 31073:

Section 3. Future Levy for Parks Facilities. The Council requests that the Mayor consider proposing a levy for the ballot in 2010 focused on parks facilities… to address the unfunded projects .. [and] include community recreation centers (especially those at locations that were not funded in the two previous Seattle Center/Community Center levies), swimming pools, arts and cultural facilities, and senior centers, among other things.

Section 10. Swimming Pool Development and Redevelopment. The Council encourages the Department of Parks and Recreation to build upon its current efforts to modernize the City’s swimming pools for energy efficiency and savings in operations by completing the effort to install pool covers and ultra-violet light treatment of water through the Green Building Revolving Fund and other means. The Department is also encouraged to consider public-private partnerships to expand its efforts to develop new and renovate existing swimming pools to increase recreational and fitness opportunities.

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Here’s a great example of how a diverse, low-income city built a community aquatics program that draws young people towards healthy, team-focused activities and away from gangs:

Olympics - A Small City Has a Big Impact on Water Polo

"June 18, 2008.  COMMERCE, Calif. —  …Commerce, a working-class industrial city of 12,500 southeast of Los Angeles, has developed one of the most prolific and sophisticated youth water polo programs in the United States…

“It’s not a rich community, but what the city has done for water polo there has opened so many doors,” said Nitta, a former Olympic swimmer who now coaches youth water polo teams in Las Vegas.  

…Few places have Commerce’s water polo heritage or infrastructure. The city has a median family income of only $34,040, but children play water polo free year-round in a $20 million facility built with water polo in mind. The pool is designed to Olympic specifications and occasionally hosts the national team.

The city pays for its youth players to take bus trips to tournaments, their entry fees and for pool time. All a child needs is a bathing suit — and the cost of that is sometimes covered by booster clubs.  

“We’re surrounded by areas prevalent in gangs and we’re very fortunate we don’t have gang problems in Commerce,” said Jim Jimenez, the director of parks and recreation, who has worked in the department for 35 years. “Our kids are kept busy in swim lessons and water polo and other things. It’s a community effort and it shows.”

Villa and Cardenas are first-generation Mexican-Americans. Cardenas’s parents and Villa’s mother have roots in the Mexican town of Tecalitlán. In Commerce, their mothers worked as cleaners, and Villa and Cardenas stumbled into water polo by tagging along with their older brothers. Before long, their weekends were crammed with as many as 10 games. The pool became their social hub.

“It was the thing to do,” Villa said.   ..”

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Our new Fact Sheet lays out the facts & figures that demonstrate the need for a Comprehensive Aquatics Plan and an expansion of Seattle’s public pool system.  It’s a goldmine of data for your future letters of support for pools.  If you have more helpful data, please email elizabeth@seattlepools.org.

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The agenda for our Team Meeting is also available as a Word document.

1. Introduce:
   • Core Team
   • Kathy Whitman, Director of Aquatics for Seattle Parks (our guest)
2. What is Project Seattle Pools?
   • City-wide effort to cost-effectively broaden access to public pools.
   • Independent pool teams began in NE and SE and merged. Now city-wide.
   • We recognize that planning is the first step towards new or renovated pools.
   • See our “About” page.
3. Accomplishments?
   • Preliminary Pool Study funded – showed need for pools, including outdoor pools
   • Council will likely fund UV treatment for multiple pools next year.
   • Council committed having pool funding of some kind in a future levy
4. What’s Next?
   • Get Comprehensive Aquatics Plan (CAP) funded by city budget: Fall 2008
     • 2 years for study, 2 years for grants, levy in 4-5 years 2010.
   • Once the CAP is under way:
     • Communities will advocate for pools in particular areas
   • After the CAP is complete:
     • Raise matching funds — state and private grants, plus community donations
     • Get future levy passed
5. How to Help?
   • Now:
     • Subscribe to www.seattlepools.org for updates (see text box on right)
     • Recruit more pool supporters city-wide
     • Help gather endorsements for funding the plan (see below)
   • Soon, MAYBE:  Testify at a Parks Board hearing on aquatics.
   • Fall:  Write letters and testify during the Fall 2008 city budgeting process 
6. Ideas & Volunteers for Endorsements & Networking
   • Model endorsement letter available
   • Are you part of a community group that could endorse aquatics planning?
     • Community Club or Council
     • School or co-op
     • Athletic or health care group or pool
     • Service or volunteer or Mom’s group
     • Online community, blog or newspaper
   • Any networks you can leverage to spread the word about seattlepools.org?
   • Anywhere you can post our flyers?

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Thank you for your letters and testimony in favor of including pools in the current levy.  As a result of your efforts, the City Council committed yesterday to including pool funding of some sort in a future levy (details here). 

Funds for swimming are not included in this fall’s Parks Levy.  We hear that facilities are not the target of this levy and that better planning & costing are needed for pools (more on that later).

The good:  Your levy lobbying did get something really cool into the City Council’s energy efficiency budget– UV treatment for multiple pools will likely be funded.  UV treatment is a pre-requisite for 7-day openings at our indoor pools.  We’ll need to lobby again for a bit more budget to cover 7-day openings, but this gets us much closer.  Imagine swimming at Meadowbrook (for example) on Sunday!

Next steps:  It is clear that an Aquatics Plan is the prerequisite for getting public pools built or renovated.  We must get an Aquatics Plan funded by the Fall 2008 city budget for planning data and matching funds to be ready when the next Parks levy is formulated (4-5 years 2010).  Due to biannual granting and budgeting cycles, this year’s budget is critical for us. 

HOW TO HELP:  SOON: Lobby for the Aquatics Plan.  FOR NOW:  The best way to help is to subscribe to www.seattlepools.org for updates.  Use the text box on the right-hand side (or RSS) to subscribe, then confirm your email identify to activate.  Subscribing to the site helps us get info to you (like flyers and news stories) promptly & efficiently.  Our massive email list (the one that lives in Excel) only receives occasional updates.  Thank you!

Team Meeting:  You’re Invited:  Tuesday July 29th 7:30pm.  We’ll coordinate Northend and Southend efforts to get the Aquatics Plan into the city budget.  Please email elizabeth@seattlepools.org for directions (likely near the U-Village).  We’d love to see you!

Thanks for your amazing support.

–Elizabeth & the Project Seattle Pools Team              www.seattlepools.org

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Yesterday, the City Council put the Parks Levy on the ballot (see the Times & the PI) and adopted Resolution 31073.  This resolution commits city leaders to working to include pools in a future Parks levy.  It requests that the Mayor and various City departments "undertake a management plan" to fulfill the recommendations of the Levy Committee.  Their #1 recommendation:

"The Committee urges the Mayor and Council to address unmet needs at parks facilities, including the community recreation centers, swimming pools, arts and cultural facilities and senior centers by including those facilities in a future levy."

Thanks to all of you who raised the visibility of aquatics during the SAP and levy review processes.  It was a long haul, but we’ve made good progress in communicating community needs to Parks, the Mayor and the City Council and getting aquatics recognized in city plans.  Next step:  Getting an Aquatics Plan funded.

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Now that the revised Parks Strategic Action Plan (SAP) is available, let’s review how this document supports the push for pools.

The SAP cites the Mayor’s promise to "Build Strong Families and Healthy Communities:"

“Healthy communities are the heart of a great city… As Mayor, I want to foster a renewed commitment to our neighborhoods. That means paying attention to the needs of each community and responding to those needs in a meaningful way.” – Mayor Greg Nickels

Indeed, our communities are calling for outdoor pools as gathering places for families and indoor pools as healthy resources for all ages during Seattle’s rainy months.

The vision, mission and values of Seattle Parks and Rec described in the SAP are supportive of exactly the kinds of benefits provided by pools. 

• Vision: "Creating community" 
• Values: Programs that  "Encourage health and fitness" and "Provide opportunities for lifelong play, creativity, learning, and discovery."

The SAP also supports planning for pools, including planning for upgrades to community centers that include pools:

I.2. Analyze system-wide needs and develop criteria for acquisition of new land, facilities, and fixed assets:

i. Conduct a citywide parks and open space analysis for 2010 and 2020, including future programming needs, demographic trends, and geographic distribution, that identifies the types and locations of park property (e.g., neighborhood park, wildlife corridor) and facilities (e.g., community centers, pools) that will be needed

IV.4. Assess costs associated with upgrading the nine facilities not upgraded in the three most recent levies: community centers at Hiawatha, Green Lake, Jefferson, Loyal Heights, Queen Anne, Magnolia, and Rainier Beach; the gym at Van Asselt Community Center, Rainier Beach Pool, and the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center.

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Note:  The most recent version of this proposal is now available in this post.

Seattle needs to take a comprehensive urban planning approach to pools, just like it did for skate parks 2 years ago. We need a Comprehensive Aquatics Plan.  Getting a plan funded in this biannual city budget (Fall 2008) is essential for getting pools into the next facilities/pools levy (as recommended by the City Council’s Levy Advisory Committee) in 2010.

Here’s how the timing works:  Plans of this scope generally take 2 years, once it is complete, pool supporters will be able to apply for private funding, and state grants (most of which have a two year cycle.)) Only by getting planning dollars into the budget this year will we have plans and matching funds in place when the next facilities/pools levy takes shape in 2010.  Without a plan, pools will be absent from yet another levy.

A Comprehensive Aquatics Plan for Seattle

A Comprehensive Aquatics Plan will address how our city can cost-effectively meet its citizens’ needs for swimming facilities and programming. Its recommendations may include new facilities and/or retrofitting existing facilities to meet evolving needs (e.g., slides for teens or warm water therapy pools for seniors that double as teaching pools for kids). The plan would provide the consensus and concrete vision for improving our pool system.  It is a required step towards obtaining pool funding through a future Parks levy, matching state grants and community fund-raising efforts.

• Evolving Needs. This considers the needs of changing demographics (e.g., increasing numbers of seniors) and evolving health needs (e.g., increasing of obesity among kids and increasing focus of all citizens on healthy activities).
• Gaps in Service. This includes issues of site distribution and equity:
  • Geographic Equity: Jefferson/Rainier Valley area is documented to be under-served by pools (see the 2008 preliminary outdoor pool study by Parks). Jefferson has a pool in its neighborhood plan.
  • Outdoor: The only 2 outdoor pools are on the far west side of the city.  The recent pool study says "a future priority site should probably be located east of I-5 to balance the location with existing pools."
  • ADA Ramp Access: There is no graduated-entry public pool in all of Seattle. Fircrest is no longer open to the public.
  • Warm water pools. Needed for therapy and lessons. Existing pools at 85 degrees are too cold for therapy and too hot for laps.
  • Lessons. Kids are being turned away. Many pools are over-subscribed for lessons while the rest are at capacity today. For figures, see the pool study.
  • Hours. Today’s pools are used at capacity. Hours available for many healthful activities are curtailed.
  • Slides. Adding modern equipment to pools would increase their attractiveness to teens, a population shown to be underserved in the Parks strategic plan.
  • 50 meter pools. The city’s only public 50-meter pool is only open in the summer.
  • Water polo.  Requires deep water.
• Major Facility Maintenance. Many existing pools are 30-50 years old and use water and energy inefficiently. New systems may be needed for cost and resource efficiency.  Preventative maintenance results in long-term cost savings.
• Major Facility Renovation. Evans and Rainier Beach pools require renovation and possible replacement. Broad estimates for those costs must be refined before funding can be obtained through a future capital levy.
• Major Facility Addition. The Parks Dept.’s preliminary pool study identified four city-owned sites where pools can be added to add capacity.  Government support and significant planning (community, design & engineering) are required before funding can be obtained for any of these sites.
• Cost Efficiency. The two modern pools in the Seattle area with high cost-efficiency numbers (87% outdoor and 78% indoor) attract a wide variety of citizens through concurrent programming. Future pool planning can leverage this information to incorporate cost-effective designs and features into future or remodeled pools.

Study Cost Estimate: $375,000

• Urban Planning: $75,000
• Design (including architectural services and life-cycle facility planning): $100,000
• Engineering (looking at site-specific constraints and solutions): $100,000
• Parks staff time (12-18 mo): $100,000

Bottom Line:  This is the right time to evaluate the state of aquatic facilities in Seattle, given the deficits identified in the preliminary pool study that was completed by the Parks Department this spring. Furthermore, the review of potential projects for the upcoming Parks levy revealed such a lack of well-costed plans for pool improvements that no funds of any kind for swimming pools will be included in this levy (including UV treatment to kill cryptosporidium). You can see our modest, failed proposals for the levy here and our testimony on pool planning at several levy hearings here and here.

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If you’d like to help advocate for pools or just want to see what all the fuss is about, come to the team meeting.  We’ll focus on coordinating Northend and Southend efforts to get a "Comprehensive Aquatics Plan" into the city budget this fall. A plan like this is the first step towards getting new public pools built in Seattle.

Please email elizabeth@seattlepools.org for directions (likely near the U-Village).  We’d love to see you!

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City Council Chairman Richard Conlin just sent us great news.  The Council will likely fund UV treatment systems for multiple pools next year (not just one!) using its energy efficiency budget.  The Council may even fund UV treatment for all pools that lack UV.

A big shout of thanks to everyone who wrote letters or spoke up for our proposals at the many levy forums — your voices made a difference.  Thanks go to City Council Chair Conlin and all members of the Council for their support for pools.  Further thanks go to City Council Central Staff Director Ben Noble for helping our group understand how levy advocacy works.

Now, why is UV so good?  UV provides more than just energy efficiency (by allowing pool covers).  UV does more than just killing cryptosporidium (a human health threat).  UV does more than just reducing chlorine byproducts (the yucky stuff that makes your eyes sting).

UV treatment will make it technically feasible for our indoor pools to open 7 days a week (by cutting chlorine byproducts).  Imagine swimming on Sunday in Greenlake Pool.  More hours could mean more lessons for kids who are being turned away today, more water aerobics classes for seniors and more lap swimming time for all.  And using our existing pools to their full potential is almost certainly a pre-requisite for building more pools. 

Now onwards! Next step: Lobby for funding for a "Comprehensive Aquatics Plan" to go into the city buget this Fall.  It’s a key step towards getting pools built.

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It would be a big help to get the Parks Board of Commissions to formally support adding pool planning to the City budget this fall.  We need a Board Hearing on pools to do this.  The letter below just went out to the Commissioners. 

[Update:  The Parks Board has graciously granted us time to brief them on August 28, along with Kathy Whitman, Director of Aquatics for Parks.  More on this in a future post.]

On behalf of the Project Seattle Pools team, I would like to request that the Parks Board hold a hearing in early September on the need for a “Comprehensive Aquatics Plan” for Seattle.

This is an excellent time for the Parks Board to consider the state of aquatics facilities in the city, given the deficits identified in the preliminary outdoor pool study that was completed by the Parks Department this spring. Furthermore, the review of potential projects for the upcoming Parks levy revealed such a lack of well-costed plans for pool improvements that no funds of any kind for swimming pools will be included in this levy (including UV treatment to kill cryptosporidium). You can see our modest, failed proposals for the levy here and our testimony on pool planning at the last levy hearing here.

We would like Parks to take a comprehensive urban planning approach to pools, just like it did for skate parks. As a result of the hearing, we would like the Parks Board to vote to recommend that funding be included in the City budget this fall for a “Comprehensive Aquatics Strategic Plan” for Seattle.

A Comprehensive Aquatics Plan would address how our city can cost-effectively meet its citizen’s needs for swimming facilities. Its recommendations may include new facilities and/or retrofitting existing facilities to meet evolving needs (e.g., slides for teens or warm water therapy pools for seniors). The strategic plan would provide a blueprint for improving our pool system as funds become available through a future levy or fundraising efforts.

The levy committee just delivered a recommendation to the Council that the next levy include pools. We need to start doing planning today such that we have well-costed, well-thought-out proposals to take to the voters when that levy takes shape. And to take advantage of private fundraising possibilities.

Thank you for considering this request for a Parks Board hearing in early September, in time for City budget deliberations.

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You can use our 1-page flyer to spread the word about the pool movement and rally support.  If you need to save paper and ink, use our half-page flyer without photos.

Pool supporters have already found terrific ways to share our flyer with their communities — tell us yours!

• One pool team member will hand out flyers when her street closes for a block party during the Seattle Night Out Event on August 5th.  This event is city-wide — find out if your block is taking part and bring copies of our flyer with you!
• Another pool team member hands out copies of our half-page flyer to fellow parents waiting in long lines to sign their kids up for swim lessons. 
• Yet another pool team member will provide 600 copies of our flyer to her kids’ school so that copies can be handed out in the "back-to-school" packets that go out to parents in September.  Can you do this at your school?
• Multiple pool supporters have requested (and gained permission) to post our flyer at public and private pools.

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An enthusiastic foursome of outdoor pool supporters from Southeast Seattle testified before the Council last night along with Elizabeth.  Here’s Aimee’s full testimony.  An excerpt:

"We’re disappointed to hear that you aren’t going to include any pool funding in this levy. Please help us find another way to fund the planning that needs to happen before a pool can go in the next levy. We would love to have an outdoor pool in our community in SE Seattle.

We believe that an outdoor pool in the SE Neighborhood District at Genesee Play Field would address many of the goals and recommendations in the Councils final report."

Christine testified earlier this month on behalf of pools.  A few words from her testimony:

"We live in a water town – we need to address aquatics. After 8 years on the Wedgwood Swim Pool waitlist and 3 years on another club’s waitlist, I’ve joined a private pool in Bellevue to make sure my kids get this kind of opportunity – I’d rather they swim at public pools like our only existing pools in Magnolia and West Seattle, but it is too much of a commute and those pools are over capacity.

I am not here for myself or my kids – I am here for other people’s kids.

…Please launch a city-wide aquatics task force and fund a city-wide study to assess the number, type and location for additional aquatic facilities. Do for pools what you did for skate parks – pools really are for all ages and abilities. Please read and discuss the recently submitted Parks Pool Study – it shows that Mounger almost 100% over capacity for some youth related programs."

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Testimony that will be presented at the City Council’s second levy hearing tonight:

My name is Elizabeth and I am here with Project Seattle Pools.  First, I’d like to lend my voice of support to the group from SE Seattle that is here today to advocate for a pool in their community. 

I came down here today to thank you for setting aside city funds in this year’s budget for UV treatment of pools and pool covers, even though UV isn’t going into the levy.  This is terrific news for both the health of citizens and energy efficiency.  Thanks go to both you and your staff.

Since I’m already here, I have three suggestions:

First, we’d like to encourage you fund UV treatment for more than one pool this year.  Parks successfully built treatment systems for four pools before it ran out of UV funding, so good models for success exist already.  We’ve heard you’re working on this.  Thanks.

Second, we’d like to encourage you to add a seventh day to the schedule of at least one pool with UV treatment.  Lack of UV treatment has blocked 7 day openings.  Opening 7 days would be a great way to add 15% more hours to our pool system without building anything new just yet.  Remember, fixed costs (such as boiler maintenance) are already covered.  Again, we’ve heard you’re working on this.  Thanks.

Third, please help us find a way to fund a city-wide plan for pools, just like the skate-park plan.  This plan would lay the groundwork for the future community center/pool levy recommended by your levy advisory committee.  It would let all of us start applying for matching grants and raising community funds.  A pool plan would lay the groundwork for adding cost-effective facilities like Mounger outdoor pool, which has an 87% cost recovery rate, and Montlake Terrace indoor pool, which has a 78% cost recovery rate.

I’d like to leave you with a few numbers.  View Ridge pool has 897 families on its waitlist.  About 10 made it off the wait list this year, so the wait is now roughly 90 years, greater than typical lifetimes.  Dues in the first year are about 5,000.  Multiply 897 by 5,000 and you get just under $5 million, roughly the price of building an outdoor pool like Mounger. 

Judging by these numbers, I’d be willing to bet we’ll find quite a few donors willing to help get pools built once we have a plan in place.  And the examples of Mounger and Montlake Terrace demonstrate that pools can do an excellent job of covering operating costs through moderate admission fees.

[Updated 7/17/08: Wait list numbers upped.]

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Few outdoor pools mean few slots for swim lessons.  If you know you’re going to be waiting in line for swim lesson sign-ups for your kids, make a few copies of our half-page flyer and bring them along to share with other parents waiting in line.  

It will take many voices of support to get public pools built in our city.  Spreading the word about the pool movement is a great way to help build momentum for pools.  Your grassroots efforts are a huge help.

[Note:  View Ridge and Wedgwood pools have already given us permission to hand out flyers to parents waiting for sign-ups. At other pools, you may want to check with someone in charge before handing out flyers.]

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Representatives from Project Seattle Pools spoke in favor of including pools funding in the Parks Levy at the Council’s first public forum tonight. 

This document contains the two small funding proposals we presented, plus our summary of the Parks Department’s preliminary Outdoor Pool Study. 

Testifying before the Council was a pleasure — it was inspiring to hear about the good works going on elsewhere in our city (e.g., the International Children’s Park) and the wide-spread enthusiasm for a Parks Levy.

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Unfortunately, the citizen’s advisory committee charged with drafting the Parks Levy did not include any pool funding in their proposal.  However, the City Council is now free to alter the suite of levy projects before it decides whether or not to include the levy on the ballot. 

Even the Seattle PI sees a big-ticket item in the committee’s recommendations that doesn’t fit well with the levy plan, so some money may still free up.  Please email the Council to make sure some of this money goes towards pool planning.

Good News #1: If the pool plan doesn’t make it into the levy, thanks to your letters, the Council will be sensitized to the importance of including pool planning money in the city budget this Fall.  It takes time to for the Council to build an understanding of the need for pools.  Your letters are key to building their awareness of the need.

Good News #2:  The committee’s report concluded that pools (real facilities, not just plans for pools) should be included in a future capital levy:

"The Committee urges the Mayor and Council to address unmet needs at parks facilities, including the community recreation centers, swimming pools, arts and cultural facilities and senior centers by including those facilities in a future levy."

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A hearty and enthusiastic group turned out to support pools at the levy forum last night.  Great work, team!

The committee took testimony from three pool supporters and then asked for a show of hands from other members of the audience who would have testified on behalf of pools if time allowed.  Fourteen hands went up.  A very strong showing.  We saw clear enthusiasm and interest on committee faces for our three modest proposals.

Last night was our last opportunity to change minds on the levy committee and convince committee members to include aquatics funding in their final levy proposal.

What’s next?

1. Levy committee finalizes its proposal:  Watch http://www.seattle.gov/council/ for the committee’s revised and final recommendations.  The final committee meeting is June 24.
2. City Council revises and finalizes the levy proposal:  When the city council holds public meetings on the proposal, we’ll need to testify again.  This will happen in July.

We also held a brief team sync after the levy forum.  We focused on the need to testify again about the levy (when it goes before the city council) and how to deepen outreach throughout the city.  As always, email elizabeth@seattlepools.org if you would like to participate in future team meetings.

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At the Levy Forum coming up this Tuesday, aquatics supporters will present three modest proposals to the levy committee.  Unfortunately, the committee’s planning documents strongly suggest that all aquatics funding will be left out of the levy.  Renovation of Greenlake pool is the only aquatics project currently under consideration, but this project falls into the "Facilities" category, a category that is likely to be postponed to a future (theoretical) levy. 

Can you help convince the committee to include aquatics funding?  Yes, you can!  Join us in presenting our modest proposals on Tuesday.  If you can’t make it, send your own letter to the levy committee (parksandgreenspaceslevy@seattle.gov — further details here).

Pools serve all ages and abilities.  The three items we recommend provide tremendous bang-for-the-buck.   All contribute to the health of our citizens, the health of our communities and the health of the natural environment through energy efficiency. 

Our three proposals are summarized below; see here for full details.  Thank you for all your help!

Priority 1:  Fund a Long-Term Aquatics Development Plan. Cost Estimate:  $375,000

This 20-year, city-wide plan would consider emerging needs, maintenance of existing facilities and future construction plans.  It would provide the vision, consensus and concrete plan that would provide the groundwork for both a future capital levy and applications for matching grants. 

Priority 2:  Fund UV Treatment for Existing Pools.  Cost Estimate:  $350,000 

UV treatment is needed for 6 pools in Seattle to deal with an emerging threat to human health (cryptosporidium, an organism that produces symptoms similar to E Coli but resists chlorine treatment).  UV treatment could increase schedulable pool hours by 15% without adding a single pool, plus increase energy efficiency.  This is not maintenance funding—UV systems have never existed for these pools.  UV systems have been added to some pools out of budgets for energy conservation (!?!); however, co-opting energy funds to deal with a health issue is not an effective (or timely) way to deal with the problem.  The triple bang-for-the-buck (health, potential hours and efficiency) make this project a real win-win.

Priority 3:  Fund a Warm Water Therapy/Teaching Pool Add-On.  Cost Estimate:  $420,000

Today’s pools are one-size-fits-all, so they fail to serve a wide range of needs.  Adding a warm-water therapy pool at an existing pool site would broaden accessibility of the pool system and increase pool time for all users.  There is an existing, cost-estimated Parks plan for adding a warm water therapy pool beyond a bulkhead at Helene Madison pool.  Parks chose this location as the best place to put the first warm water pool because of very high demand, high concentration of seniors, relative ease (accessibility, space) of implementation and current high utility costs (worst of all pools).  This project is listed in the Parks Department’s Capital Improvement Plan. 

Note:  These proposals were identified using the criteria provided here for weighing levy proposals.

UPDATE:  The levy proposal has just been posted on the city council web site.  There is one water-focused item: "Convert two wading pools to spray parks."

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Farewell AquaDive, our North End gem.  This time, reports of your closing were not exaggerated.  Your phone is disconnected.  We’ve heard your fabulous filtration system will soon be replaced by condos. 

Lake City has lost a warm and welcoming community gathering place, not to mention the cleanest and clearest pool water found in our city.  Nothing like a huge, over-sized sand filtration system (built when land was cheap) for clean water.  Your locker rooms might have seen better days, but they had accumulated decades of stories and friendships.  Your hot tub might have been intermittently hot in recent years, but it was always full of friends when your boilers ran full steam. 

RIP AquaDive.  You are irreplaceable to so many of us.  We relied on your calm, warm water for rehab and friendship.  We’ll miss you.

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In today’s Seattle Times, Paula Bock writes about The Power of the Pool: Issues of class, culture and political priorities swirl.  Excerpts:

Consider these startling numbers: Nearly 60 percent of African-American children between the ages of 6 and 16 can’t swim, and they drown at three times the overall rate, according to a recent study by the University of Memphis. In Washington state, Asian-American children and adolescents have the highest rate of drowning — 18 percent of the deaths even though they are 7 percent of the state population. …

Historically, black Americans haven’t had easy access to pools, so a disproportionate number don’t know how to swim, may not have insisted their children learn how and, in fact, may have encouraged the kids to stay away from the water, says Mickey Fearn, manager of Community Connections for Seattle Parks and Recreation.

…"With water," Fearn says, "it’s all about confidence. Having the confidence you’re going to be safe…"

In Seattle, Fearn says, you look at all the water and if you can’t swim, "you don’t go kayaking, canoeing, water skiing or sailing, nor do you think of creating businesses in those areas because you have no rapport with the water. Marine sciences, running a charter boat, the fishing industry — all that is cut off."

LAST YEAR, the parks department taught 261,787 swimming lessons. Of those, 14,000 were free, part of a voucher program for third- and fourth-graders; 66 percent of those kids said they’d never swum before. . The city doesn’t track the ethnicity of general pool users or of children in swim lessons, but they do know 40 percent of the 800 swimmers in the summer youth swim league are children of color; a third of the beach lifeguards are people of color; three of the 18 pool coordinators are nonwhite.

If you don’t learn to swim by the time you’re a teen, what’s the likelihood you will? City aquatics director Kathy Whitman sighs. "The population we have to work hard to bring in is those teenagers," she says. …

Teens, she says, prefer the beaches. Perhaps that’s because it’s not so much fun to hang out in hourlong shifts at an indoor rectangular pool (eight of Seattle’s 10 pools). Why not build another outdoor pool?

…The city recently completed a study that found significant demand for outdoor pools and outdoor pool recreation. Mounger Pool in Magnolia, for example, turned away 58 youngsters who wanted to be in Summer Swim League and 80 3-year-olds who wanted lessons. Mounger had almost as many pool visits last year as Evans Pool at Green Lake and more than Rainier Beach Pool, which are open all year.

Also, a recent, related article: New study: 58 percent of black children can’t swim

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Can you spare an hour on June 17th to show your support for putting aquatics into the levy?

Unfortunately, we’ve heard that aquatics facilities or improvements of any kind are not likely to make it into the levy proposal.  Thanks for all your letters of support, but we still have an upward slope ahead of us.

We’re putting together a small, discrete package of concrete ideas for making incremental progress on pools (e.g., $ for planning).  We’re going to take it before the levy committee on Tuesday, June 17th at the last levy forum (see below for details).  We need to make a strong showing at this forum to get pool voices heard above the loud chorus of other priorities for Parks. Can you help?

Even if you aren’t comfortable saying a few words, just come stand up with us when we speak.  You’ll show that you care so much about aquatics that you are willing to take an hour out of your day to deliver your message in person.  As you know, "many faces, many places" is the way to get pools prioritized.

Thanks, as always, for you your help.  If you can’t attend in person, see this post for info on how to help from home.

Details for Tuesday, June 17th, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.:

• Parks and Green Spaces Levy Committee Public Testimony:
• Seattle Center:  305 Harrison Street (Near Republican and 1st Avenue N.)
• Lopez Room (part of the Northwest rooms)
• Contact elizabeth@seattlepools.org with any questions

Update:  Just discovered this:  The levy committee’s depot of planning documents is here. You’ll see only one solitary mention of aquatics — the need for Greenlake pool renovation is referenced briefly here.  This mention appears to be part of a "comprehensive" laundry list, not a prioritized plan for the levy.

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The Seattle Parks Department just released its preliminary feasibility study for adding outdoor public pools.  This is the study requested by the City Council last year in response to all of your letters of support. 

You can read the study here or read a copy with key points highlighted here.

Key Findings:

• Modern pools with modern designs have excellent cost recovery rates. The two nearby, modern pools have high cost-recover rates because they have varied bodies of water and amenities that meet the needs of a wide variety of citizens simultaneously. Operating costs covered by income in 2007:
  • 87% at Mounger Pool (outdoor)
  • 78% at Montlake Terrace Pool (indoor)
• Seattle has only built one public pool in 30 years.
  
• Our 2 existing outdoor pools have exceptionally high attendance rates.
• Kids are being turned away from lessons due to a lack of capacity: "For youth-oriented programs, both outdoor facilities are at capacity with significant wait lists at Mounger pool." Also:  "Parks programs at all pools generally have full enrollment and wait lists for classes."
• “…Swimming has the second highest levels of participation, second only to walking” according to the 2006 SUPERSTUDY® of Sports Participation Report for Seattle, Washington and the Pacific Region.
• Over 2,000 families have signed up for multi-year waitlists at private pools. Wedgwood & View Ridge charge $50 just to join their wait lists while membership costs are in the thousands-of-dollars range. View Ridge and other private pools require members to live within certain neighborhood boundaries, so they aren’t accessible to most city residents.
• Both existing outdoor pools are located on the far left side of the city, so: "a future priority site should probably be located east of I-5 to balance the location with existing pools."
• There is also an “obvious gap in the Beacon Hill/North Rainier Valley” for pools of any sort – indoor or outdoor.
• City-owned sites of interest include: Jefferson Park, Magnuson Park, the to-be-decomissioned Roosevelt reservoir and the Northgate Park-n-Ride lot.

These results are tremendously encouraging and speak to not just to the need for pools but, most importantly, to the feasibility of building pools without damaging the Parks Department’s operational budget. 

If you would like to be involved in planning follow-up steps, please contact elizabeth@seattlepools.org.  We’re going to have a team planning meeting within the next month or so. 

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This update on the pool project was just submitted to the Wedgwood Community’s newsletter — feel free to submit all or part of it to your community’s newsletter:

Thanks to all of you who spoke for pools as part of the Parks Department strategic planning process, plus the development of the possible follow-up levy to Pro-Parks.

The draft Parks strategic plan is now available (http://www.seattle.gov/parks/Publications/ParksActionPlan.htm) and puts a strong emphasis on health. The plan emphasizes “healthy and diverse communities,” including “healthy and active lifestyles for all.” Pools are exceptionally good at providing healthy opportunities to all ages and abilities, so they could fit well into the general strategic framework proposed by Parks.

Also encouraging is the Parks Department’s preliminary assessment of our city’s outdoor pool facilities. This document (http://seattlepools.org/wp-content/uploads/file/OutdoorPoolStudy.doc) provides strong evidence for the need for pools. Seattle has built only one pool in 30 years and both outdoor public pools are located on the far left-hand side of the city. Kids are being turned away from lessons at public pools due to a lack of capacity. Over 2,000 families are known to be wait-listed for (costly) admission to private pools. The study also reports excellent cost recovery rates for modern pools with varied bodies of water that can meet diverse needs simultaneously. 87% of yearly costs were covered by income at the modern outdoor pool in Seattle (Mounger) while 78% of costs were covered at the modern Montlake Terrace indoor pool.

Subscribe to http://www.seattlepools.org or contact elizabeth@seattlepools.org to keep up to date on how you can help advocate for public pool space. Thanks for all your help!

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A pool supporter kindly offered to share her strong letter.  It’s an inspiration:

Dear Council and Committee Members:

I am writing to strongly urge you to invest in the health and well-being of Seattle citizens by including the development of at least one new warm water therapy pool in the Seattle Parks levy.  

Warm water (88-94 degree) therapy pools are in dire need in our community.  They are useful for those with mobility issues, for those recovering from injury, for children learning to swim and for seniors maintaining and increasing their health.  With the increase in the population of seniors, the need for restorative swim centers that are designed to be barrier-free is critical.  No warm water therapy pools are open to the public in Seattle year-round.  There are simliar pools in Bellevue and Mountlake Terrace.  (There is one warm water (94 degree) pool available in the summer months in Magnolia.)

I am acutely aware of this lack of warm water therapy pools since my daughter has been old enough to learn to swim.  Because of her disability, she carries little body fat and can’t tolerate the standard 84 degree pool temperature of lap pools, such as the Seattle public pools.  The doctors have told us again and again that swimming is the best exercise for her.  We have searched and searched for a place for her to swim locally.  She currently swims at Seattle Children’s Hospital weekly and has had a great increase in her muscle tone and flexibility.  We are lucky enough to be able to afford to access the Hospital pool but swim opportunities like this should be available to the entire public.  This is a form of recreation that is open to anyone and in an inclusive setting!  What other sport can say that?

Let’s match or exceed the quality of swim opportunities seen in our neighboring communities — I urge you to add at least one warm water therapy pool to the Seattle City Parks.

Contact information for sending your own letter is included in the post called:  Update from SeattlePools.org: Help Put Pools in the Parks Levy. Thank you