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Students, coaches and residents urge Olympia council to help keep Evergreen State College pool open
Summary
At its March 3 meeting, Olympia residents, athletes and coaches urged the council to intervene after Evergreen State College announced the aquatic facility would close in June; city staff said they will contact college leadership to clarify costs and options.
At the Olympia City Council meeting on March 3, students, coaches and community members pressed the council for help after Evergreen State College told the community it will permanently close its aquatic facility in June.
"If we go to North Thurston High School, our school will have to cut our team in half," Ash Myrick, an Olympia High junior, told the council. Myrick said the Evergreen pool supports large programs — he cited his team of 49 boys and 42 girls — and hosts other regional teams, diving and community fitness classes.
Other students described the pool as central to team bonding and youth development. "Being a part of this program is definitely the most memorable part of my life," Joseph Kim, a freshman, said, asking the council to help prevent the closure.
Local coaches and longtime volunteers framed the issue as broader than competitive swimming. "Pools are services," Henry Volz, an Olympia High coach, said. Volz told the council that community aquatics reduce drowning risk and provide low‑impact rehabilitation for older and disabled residents; he said the teams also supply lifeguards and pool staff across the region.
Speakers described a patchwork of short‑term options and long‑term needs. Brent Barnes, a former Parks and Recreation advisory committee member, summarized a prior feasibility study that estimated about $30 million to build a new regional aquatic center and urged the city to explore operational partnerships instead of allowing immediate closure. Crystal Smith, a parent, quoted Evergreen's interim CFO by saying the pool requires roughly $60,000 in immediate repairs to meet health and safety standards; Dr. William Penn said he had sought help from state offices and suggested raising funds to keep the pool open through September. "They do not have the funds," Penn said, adding that Evergreen experienced a $2,700,000 state funding cut.
Council members responded with expressions of concern and a mix of short‑ and long‑term steps. Mayor Dante Payne repeated that the city does not provide direct funding to Evergreen but welcomed the opportunity to learn more. City Manager Bernie told the council he would contact Evergreen President Carmichael to "get information in terms of dollars and cents" and promised to report back with clarified figures and options. Several council members volunteered to reach out to Evergreen trustees and to partner jurisdictions, and council members encouraged continued public advocacy and use of the city's parks plan and existing parks funding as possible avenues for support.
No formal council vote was taken on funding at the meeting. Instead, the council recorded a staff direction: City Manager Bernie will contact Evergreen leadership to gather cost estimates and operational details and provide that information to the council for further consideration. The public comment period and council discussion show strong community support for keeping the facility available for school teams, rehabilitation users and open‑swim programs; next steps will depend on Evergreen's financial detail, possible short‑term funding options and whether Parks & Rec or other partners can manage the facility.
The city manager's outreach to Evergreen and the council's follow up with partner jurisdictions are the immediate procedural developments; residents and teams said they will continue organizing and asking local jurisdictions for assistance.
