Parks looking for ‘partners’ to fund wading pools

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This summer local wading pools may once again be closed for the season, or for a few days each week, to make up for the budget shortfall. To keep the pools open, Seattle Parks and Recreation is looking for “partners” to help fund them.

As of right now, of the 25 wading pools in the city, ten will close because of budget problems, including three that are being converted to water spray parks like at Ballard Commons, five wading pools open seven days a week and another ten open three days a week.

Parks hopes to expand the schedule to increase family recreational opportunities in a way that is economically and geographically equitable. Some communities may be more organized or have different access to funding sources, so Parks would pair wading pools as a way to ensure balanced and equal recreational opportunities across our city. Under this partnership, Parks would keep the wading pool open one additional day each week in the neighborhood from which the funds came, and Parks would select a second site that the contribution would fund as well.

Opportunities include:

· Sponsoring two wading pools one day per week through the summer at a cost of $8,800

· Sponsoring two wading pools for three days per week during the last two weeks of summer at a cost of $6,600

· Sponsoring a one day wading pool operation for a special event at a cost of $650

· Receiving recognition on the Seattle Parks and Recreation website

· Sponsoring an unfunded wading pool three days per week through the summer

For more information, or for organizations interested in a partnership with Parks and Recreation to provide more access to wading pools this summer, please contact Bill Dougherty, 206-684-7185, bill.dougherty@seattle.gov, or Kathy Whitman, 206-684-7099, kathy.whitman@seattle.gov, no later than May 1, 2011.

Last summer the Soundview wading pool (1590 NW 90th St) was open three days a week and the Gilman pool was closed all season. The spray park at Ballard Commons Park (5701 22nd Ave NW) was open seven days a week.

Geeky Swedes

The founders of My Ballard

8 thoughts to “Parks looking for ‘partners’ to fund wading pools”

  1. Again our government treating us all like little children by taking away our wading pools. Same with libraries and other government agencies. What happened to “pay-for-play”? And aren’t we already taxed, feed, regulated enough? The more our government does for us, the more it can/will do TO us. Seems ours like to keep us schlubs in a constant state of being pissed/outrage. Does anybody feel under-taxed? A Budweiser kiddie pool. Now there’s an idea!

  2. Actually, compared to other first world countries, we are hardly taxed at all. And the people that scream for lower taxes also scream for the government to do more for less. Welcome to reality, where libertarianism is nothing more than extreme Republicanism in disguise.

  4. I do that already. It’s called Property Taxes.

    Though I wouldn’t mind volunteering or donating a bit if it helped keep my neighborhood pools open.

  5. I would GLADLY do this, if they would make it an option… I know plenty of families who would offer to chip in, but there hasn’t been an ‘easy’ way to do that… Admittedly, under this plan, it will take some serious neighborhood organizing,,,, my memory is that the Soundview neighborhood did do this a few years ago; supposedly they paid to keep it open a few extra weeks. Anyone know if that was true, and if so, how it was organized?

  7. I work for Parks and the expense is the staff to work the site, maintenance on the wading pool due to the drains getting clogged and due to health codes, it has to be filled and emptied every day. Plus there is insurance. Until I worked for parks, I didn’t realize how much it cost to comply with health codes and state laws. That is why it is better for the budget to go with a water spray feature instead of the wading pool.

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