Community invited to learn more about the Mount Rainier Pool refurbishment project
The Board of Directors for the Des Moines Pool Metropolitan Park District will meet to consider around a 5-cent levy increase to cover unanticipated costs associated with refurbishing the Mount Rainer Pool. If approved by the Board, the owner of a $300,000 home would pay about an additional $15.00 per year ($1.25 per month).
The meeting will take place on November 21 at 5:00 p.m. in the Park District offices, 22015 Marine View Drive South in Des Moines. The public is invited and encouraged to attend to learn more about the refurbishment project.
Unanticipated costs included replacing corroded metal drainage pipes, and mortared surfaces with concrete. These issues were not discovered until the pool liner was removed. The King County Health Department will not let the pool, which was built in the 1970s, reopen unless it meets today’s building, health and safety codes.
The Mount Rainier Pool is owned by the Highline School District, which has stepped up to help with the project. However, the Park District operates the pool and is responsible for capital improvements. The Park District has been granted an interfund loan by King County to cover the additional costs of the project, but this amount will need to be paid back in 2018 through property tax revenue.
“This is an important public facility for the health and well-being of our community,” said Board Chair Toni Overmyer. “We want our community and pool users to know about the challenges associated with the project.”
The pool will be filled with water sometime in mid to late December after which lifeguard training will take place. The pool is expected to reopen to the public in February of 2018. The pool and its offices at the Mount Rainier Pool location are closed during construction.