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Parks briefs committee on $22 million upgrade plan and near-term fixes for King County Aquatic Center
Summary
Parks staff told the committee the county invested roughly $9 million in recent maintenance and is planning about $22 million in further upgrades (dehumidification, filtration, integrated controls); the timing system replacement is expected in Q2 and parks said scoreboard and touch-pad issues are being addressed.
Parks department staff briefed the Government Accountability and Oversight Committee on maintenance, recent repairs and planned capital investments at the King County Aquatic Center on Feb. 10.
John Taylor, director of the Department of Natural Resources and Parks, described the facility as a regional asset. Warren Jimenez said the department invested about $9 million in maintenance and upgrades under the prior six-year levy and completed a 2024 facility assessment that identified about $22 million in additional needs, including major systems such as dehumidification, water circulation and filtration, and integrated building controls.
Jimenez addressed recent timing and scoreboard problems raised during public comment and earlier events. He said the county purchased a replacement timing system, coordinated with Omega (the facility's official timekeeper), and expects equipment arriving from Switzerland with installation scheduled for Q2; the replacement work is estimated to require roughly four days of on-site work. He said the scoreboard failure was linked to a third-party connection and that the scoreboard has functioned normally at subsequent events.
Steve Freeborn, who spoke during public comment, urged continued funding and expressed concern about maintenance and the cost of outside repairs, saying more than $1,000,000 went to outside vendors last year for repairs previously handled internally. Parks staff said they would pass Freeborn's comments to the parks director and described plans to sequence capital projects (major projects currently estimated for 2029—2030) and to work closely with user groups to minimize disruption.
Committee members asked about contingencies for cost escalation; parks staff said planning and design work and contingency allowances were being prioritized to reduce inflation risk. Council members also discussed regional facilities, noting Bellevue plans a new aquatic center and suggesting coordination so facilities are complementary rather than competitive.
Parks staff said the timing-system replacement and building controls work are intended to extend facility life, improve reliability for elite events, and maintain community programming such as swim lessons.
