Published: Thursday, April 17, 2008
Waterfront park could become priority for city parks department
Yost Pool talk also heats up
By Chris Fyall
Enterprise editor
Critics' calling for more public ownership on Edmonds' waterfront scored a victory on tax day, but it is not yet clear when, or how, the bill will come due.
While debating the city's parks and recreation comprehensive plan April 15, council members fought to insert language making the purchase of land in and around Edmonds' Waterfront Activity Center (WAC) a high priority for the city's parks department.
"We are not looking at something with a swing (set). I don't think that is what anybody is looking at," Councilwoman Deanna Dawson said. "But we are talking about creating a public amenity."
The WAC is a different term for the waterfront redevelopment site, which is more accurately called the Antique Mall/Harbor Square redevelopment project.
The 20-acre site is comprised by the Port of Edmonds' Harbor Square property, and two parcels owned by private developers -- the Antique Mall and the old Skippers site.
No plans to purchase any property were made April 15, and no steps towards a ballot measure to fund any public involvement were taken. The language defining the priority was not finalized, either.
But, the council's emerging consensus was clear.
No council member pushed against the suggested prioritization. At the very least, Councilman DJ Wilson said, the plan's modified language should allow for city involvement.
The council, and citizens who spoke during a public hearing, also rallied behind the city's need for a permanent solution to the Yost Pool problem.
The uncovered swimming pool has been a top civic priority for years, officials said. A $9.2 million aquatic center was proposed in 1996, but never built.
A decade later, a city Edmonds' size needs at least a covered pool that can be used year round, many citizens said.
A city Edmonds' size should be offering the medical and therapeutic benefits of a year-round pool, resident John Huckabee said. Huckabee has suffered spinal problems that swimming has helped alleviate, he said.
"I don't know of a better investment the city could make in the health of its citizens," Huckabee said.
The parks department is anxious to solve the Yost Pool problem, parks director Brian McIntosh said. And, yes, Yost is a problem, he said.
"We need to do something with Yost Pool," McIntosh said. "It is near the end of its life. We have to do something."
The parks department has budgeted $50,000 for a study that could start as soon as this summer, he said.
It's good that the city is getting serious about a pool, said resident Nancy Hopper, who said she swims regularly.
"But can't we just move ahead?" she asked the city officials. "For me to see another feasibility study just puts a damper on things."
The study is needed to examine what kind of aquatic facility is needed, where it should be built and how much it might cost, McIntosh said.
The city of Lynnwood is considering a new recreation center with extensive aquatic features with final construction costs expected to hit $57 to $60 million, Lynnwood officials said this week.
Reporter Chris Fyall: 425-673-6525 or cfyall@heraldnet.com
|
| Contact
Us | Advertiser
Services | Feedback | Site
Map | Legal
Notices