NAVIGATING A PATH FORWARD
As the only public indoor pool operator in Snoqualmie Valley, with a documented need for a larger facility to adequately serve the community, our work is ongoing. There is an increased sense of urgency for finding a solution soon, given the age and condition of the current facility, which is truly on borrowed time.
Si View's professionally developed public indoor pool plan from 2019 is a community driven proposal that checks all the boxes for space needs and activities for all ages and abilities. With partnerships forming and new grant cycle opening up in 2026, our goal is to have a new proposal for District residents to consider in 2026. We encourage you to stay informed as the dialogue continues.
BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS
Since the last capital bond measure in November 2023, our focus has been on building partnerships to provide additional public insight and resources and explore options for funding solutions that equitably spread the cost of the project.
Conversations with our local elected representatives, community groups and Legislative representatives have all been encouraging, and echoed the same message – a public indoor pool will need to be appropriately sized to accommodate the needs of not only today but those of the next generation, and the facility will need to offer amenities for all ages and abilities from recreation to competition. The partnership and support of The North Bend City Council is an excellent example of how a public indoor pool can be developed and be more affordable by spreading the cost over more funding sources and lessening the burden on taxpayers. The City's biennial budget for 2025-2026 includes funding in the Capital Improvement Plan in the amount of $5 million through park impact and REET funds towards a future pool project with Si View Metro Parks. This commitment not only reduces the capital bond needs but opens other funding options through future partnerships, grants, and appropriations that the Park District alone would not qualify for.
POOL ADVISORY GROUP FORMED
Snoqualmie Valley Aquatics Collaborative (SVAC), a new advisory group to Si View, continues a series of meetings this year. Created by a unanimous resolution of the Si View Commissioners in November 2024, the group is made up of elected representatives, non-profit and community group leaders from across Snoqualmie Valley. Their task will be to evaluate the purpose and need for a new public pool and, with consideration of various community goals and concerns, identify and recommend a path forward. Current members of the SVAC represent Si View MPD, City of North Bend, Snoqualmie Valley School District, Fall City Metropolitan Park District, Mt Si Senior Center, and Valley Pool Together. Other regional governments, including the Snoqualmie Tribe and the City of Snoqualmie, have been invited to join in this effort to address the long-term investment in providing accessible and affordable access to aquatics in our region.
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WHY IS A POOL NEEDED?
Public indoor pools offer swimming lessons and drowning prevention education, which are crucial skills for personal water safety, especially in a community surrounded by open waters. Public pools also benefit communities in other ways serving as epicenters for social interaction, physical health, and mental rejuvenation bringing the community together for play, fitness, competition and learning at all ages. Investing in a public facility that improves the quality of life for Snoqualmie Valley residents today and into the future has far reaching positive impacts both user experience and the local economy.
Si View Pool was built for a community that was a fraction of the size of our community today, and due to the pool's small size and limitations, our programming is heavily focused on water safety, leaving many other needs unmet. And even for the water safety programming, demand for lessons is far greater than what can be provided, leaving hundreds of residents on waiting lists each season. Swimming is a life skill that all residents should have opportunities to practice, whether in a learn to swim program, for fitness, aquatic therapy, enjoyment or competition. Today, with the aging Si View Pool, the District is committed to serving the community's aquatic needs and operating the aging Si View Pool until a long-term solution can be found, as long as it is sustainable to do so.
SI VIEW POOL REPAIRS
While these repairs are critical, they don't offer a long-term solution. The aging Si View Pool's mechanical systems need a number or repairs, if not a full overhaul. Over the last year, staff have prioritized these needs and worked with specialty suppliers for custom solutions to complete the most critical repairs as replacement parts for the 86-year pool components are not readily available. Guided by Si View Commission's strong commitment to continue providing public aquatic services for the community, the District is investing in the most urgently needed repairs in an effort to extend the life of the pool systems, and for short term, to keep the pool open to the public until a more permanent solution is found.
In October 2024, the pool's main circulation pump and motor were replaced resulting in a weeklong facility closure. The newly installed replacements are functioning well. The volume of water flow through the system has increased by approximately 300%, which will help with the clarity of the water in the pool. The old pump and motor that was replaced gradually lost its efficiency throughout the years and was leaking nonstop.
At the beginning of the year 2025, the pool was closed for six weeks for repairs. Work consisted of federally mandated upgrades to the inlet grate covers, new pool surfacing, and yearly routine maintenance. Additional improvements included painting and tile repair in locker rooms, plumbing repairs, a new boiler, and the addition of an all gender changing room.
Thank you for your patience while this necessary work was completed.
HOW DID WE GET HERE
Snoqualmie Valley was a small, rural community of less than 1,000 residents in the 1930s, when the pool was built. Today, The District population is 18,000 (2024 ESRI estimate) and the service area population is nearing 40,000, and Si View Pool can’t keep up with the demand. While staff are doing all that is possible to maximize the use of the available space and developing custom solutions to keep the aging mechanical systems running, Si View Pool is operating on borrowed time.
The community has voiced a need for a public indoor pool in every District survey for the last 10 years. Actions have been taken, with the 2019 feasibility study that produced a concept plan based on community input and market analysis, and a business & operations plan to ensure the future center's sustainability. Capital proposals have been brought to vote by District residents three times, in 2020, 2022 and 2023. Each time, a clear majority has voted in favor, but the required 60% supermajority has been missed by a small margin. With majority of District residents in favor, the Si View Commission is committed to addressing this need and continues to work with the community for a solution.
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