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Tumwater joins regional conversation on aquatic facility; new law enables second Public Facilities District
Summary
City staff summarized a regional aquatics feasibility study and said new state legislation enables creation of a second Public Facilities District (PFD2) to pursue a regional pool; the study found limited current pool capacity and recommended revisiting design, siting and finance with regional partners.
Paul Simmons, Tumwater’s city administrator, briefed the joint council–board session on a regional aquatics feasibility study and the opportunity to pursue a second Public Facilities District (PFD2) under recent state legislation.
Simmons said the feasibility work — conducted during the COVID period — showed strong community interest but that existing pools meet only a fraction of local needs (the study snapshot reported "Only 4.8% meeting all needs"). He described options that were analyzed including recreation-focused versus competition-capable designs and noted that the closing of a nearby facility (Evergreen Pool) makes revisiting the study timely.
The city administrator described PFD2 as a governance and financing vehicle that can bring regional partners together and help share capital and operating costs; he outlined further steps: re-evaluate facility design, select a site, develop a financing strategy and establish governance for how the facility would be operated.
No action was taken; staff presented the study as an informational update and invited deeper technical and financial analysis with partner jurisdictions, the school district and community stakeholders.
Next steps: staff and regional partners will consider re-engaging the feasibility work, refine the design for current needs and explore governance/finance options under PFD2.
