YMCA outlines expanded programs, pool reopening and scholarships at Camp Casey after purchase from Seattle Pacific University

Jake Carlson, executive director of YMCA Camp Casey, told the Coupeville Town Council on April 8 that YMCA Snohomish County completed acquisition and began operations at Camp Casey on Jan. 1 and is expanding programming for local residents.

Carlson said the YMCA will run five weeks of overnight camp this summer, “about 25 campers each week,” and will open the recently replastered pool on May 30 for open swim, lap swim and swim lessons. He added the YMCA will offer outdoor day camp, youth leadership programming, senior fitness and pay-what-you-can assistance funded by the YMCA community campaign.

The YMCA purchased the property from Seattle Pacific University in an agreement announced in mid-August 2024 and assumed operations Jan. 1, 2025; Carlson said the YMCA retained Camp Casey staff after the transfer. “Camp changes lives,” Carlson said, describing overnight programs as a vehicle for “building a sense of belonging in kiddos, a sense of achievement… and a sense of community.”

Carlson provided usage and program details: Camp Casey hosted roughly 18,000 visitors last year across about 200 groups; the site hosted 1,500 students in outdoor education programs in the previous season; and YMCA Camp Casey will stage five overnight sessions this summer with two- to five-night options. The YMCA has already committed scholarships produced through the community campaign: 68 overnight camp scholarships for Island County Big Brothers Big Sisters and four week-long camperships each for the Coupeville and Oak Harbor Boys & Girls Clubs.

The YMCA said it raised $13,000 in the first community campaign under the association’s ownership and has an initial capital campaign target of $12,500,000 to fund facilities improvements. Carlson said community-campaign funds remain local and “support programs, local community programs for Whidbey Island.”

Carlson described facility improvements already completed or scheduled: the gym floor was resanded and restriped, new basketball goals are planned, the pool was replastered and filled with water, locker rooms and pool deck work is scheduled, and an archery range and “giant slides” are being installed for camp and community use.

The YMCA plans a community open house at Camp Casey on May 3 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., offering gym tours, pool-deck viewing, historic tours of the Colonel’s House, and an archery-range preview. Earth Day programming, organized by local environmental groups with Camp Casey hosting, is scheduled for April 19 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Carlson emphasized those events will feature outdoor activities such as intertidal walks and guided birding.

Mayor Mary Hughes and council members praised the YMCA’s stewardship of the historic site and the retention of staff after the sale. Hughes told Carlson the council welcomed the YMCA’s plans and the preservation and reuse of Camp Casey’s historic buildings.

The council did not take action on Camp Casey funding or other decisions at the meeting; Carlson’s appearance was a presentation and Q&A. Council members and Carlson discussed volunteer needs, staffing plans (the YMCA reported nine full-time staff and plans to hire seasonal counselors and facilities staff), online registration and a membership model that will be implemented after the website finishes development.

Carlson invited residents to the open house and asked anyone interested in volunteering or reducing operational costs (utilities, etc.) to contact him; he said donation and registration links are available through the YMCA Camp Casey site and that a QR code shown during the presentation links to the donation page.

The council packet and Carlson’s slides included additional background on the YMCA acquisition and program schedule provided to the council in advance.