Exploring possibilities for a Shoreline pool facility

Tuesday, March 18, 2025

The site of the old Shoreline Pool was leveled and planted with grass.
A picnic shelter will be built there, next to Shoreline Park
Photo by Gidget Terpstra

The City of Shoreline is beginning to explore the possibility of placing a ballot measure before Shoreline voters to build, run, and maintain a public indoor pool facility. This work builds on years of public input. Residents have expressed interest in a new pool that meets the community’s needs while also not overburdening taxpayers.

King County built the former Shoreline Pool in 1971. When Shoreline became a City in 1995, we took control of the pool. We maintained and ran the pool for more than two decades. However, in its later years, it became clear that the pool was reaching the end of its useful life. Maintenance costs increased and it became harder to make the repairs on the aging equipment.

In anticipation of eventually needing to close the pool, we conducted a feasibility study on building a new pool facility. We also sought community input and heard from hundreds of community members through development of the 2017-2023 Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Plan and other outreach. Most people expressed interest in a new pool facility.

Through a concept design process that involved input from a resident advisory committee, the City Council decided to place a Parks and Pool bond measure on the November 2019 ballot. The bond measure asked Shoreline voters if they wanted to fund a new 75,000 square foot pool, recreation, and community center, in addition to funding for redevelopment of four parks. Although the measure received a majority “Yes” vote (54%), it did not receive the required 60% “Yes” vote needed to pass a bond measure.

Following the failed bond measure, the Council made the difficult decision to close the Shoreline Pool in the fall of 2021. However, in 2020 with the COVID 19 pandemic, we had to suspend Pool operations. This lead to permanently closing the Pool earlier than anticipated in the fall of 2020 (a year earlier than scheduled). This left a gap in access to pool activities for Shoreline community members.

The cost of the proposed facility in 2019 was a significant concern for many residents. Many asked the City to look at ways to bring down costs including through partnerships. The City has spent several years exploring potential partnerships with neighboring cities and organizations to see if a larger joint pool project would work. Unfortunately, due to a variety of factors, we concluded that a partnership wouldn’t work. If the community wants a new pool, the City needs to build it itself.

In March 2024, the City Council directed staff to explore designing a new pool-only facility. The new facility would focus on a lap pool and warmer water recreation spaces. It would be smaller in overall size than the facility proposed in 2019. 

The new facility would not include sport courts and other gym-type recreation spaces. Spartan Recreation Center would continue to be the City’s primary recreation center, with its two gymnasiums, weight room, and several recreation multipurpose spaces. The proposed pool-only facility would be located in the same place as the proposed 2019 facility, north of City Hall.

Exploring a pool-only facility will include creating an initial design, managing a community advisory committee process, seeking public input, and developing costs and impacts to property taxes. The City Council would then decide on whether to place a measure on the ballot for voters to consider.


11 comments:

Anonymous,  March 18, 2025 at 4:54 AM  

If you want a pool join the YMCA. Same cost as the likely proposal for increasing property taxes. Don’t burden everyone because of a pool.

Mike Shea,  March 18, 2025 at 12:36 PM  

I would love to see an outdoor as well as indoor pool. Kids would love a water slide.

Anonymous,  March 19, 2025 at 2:04 AM  

The city squandered the previous pool built under the Forward Thrust initiative. It was an excellent facility that many people used regularly. Sure, it had upkeep challenges, but a city that was a good steward of taxpayer dollars would have kept the building which was in good repair, kept the pool shell, and made infrastructure upgrades. It wouldn't have torn down the entire facility and restored it to a field like it had never been there.

No, the real reason that we don't have a pool now is because the old one was located on 1st Ave NE rather than Midvale, and our Council wants a vanity project for its town square. Before we let them build this vanity project, we need to ask hard questions.

The two biggest ongoing costs for a public pool are water heating and staffing. Water heating is a huge expense in our chilly climate. The Council is going to choose to heat the pool electrically in order to satisfy climate goals. What happens in the future when refusing to install economical natural gas heat causes the operating cost of the pool to balloon? Will history repeat itself as a future Council bulldozes this new facility to a field again rather than maintaining the community resource?

Anonymous,  March 19, 2025 at 5:36 AM  

I'm curious as to why the proposed pool isn't sited on the existing Spartan center property?

Anonymous,  March 19, 2025 at 6:03 AM  

I miss our shoreline pool! A community pool would be a great addition to recreation options in Shoreline !

Anonymous,  March 19, 2025 at 9:38 AM  

While this article does not mention it I recently read in the online Mountlake Terrace news that THEY are contemplating replacing their recreation pavilion (pool) and are considering a joint arrangement with local communities due to replacement cost. Seems like a good avenue to explore.

Anonymous,  March 19, 2025 at 11:36 AM  

The city should propose a decent community center because the Spartan Center is tired. Fix that facility and sell the storage unit property purchased years ago when the bond measure failed. Curious who is clamoring for a pool?

Anonymous,  March 19, 2025 at 8:02 PM  

Shoreline needs to grow up and make itself a city! there needs to be a town center of sorts. So much potential but so dead. Build a pool with no shortcuts. Make a village somewhere.

Anonymous,  March 19, 2025 at 10:51 PM  

I wonder why cities such as Lafayette Colorado, and Boulder and other surrounding cities are able to provide wonderful pool facilities with reasonable resident usage charges. Nothing in Edmonds, either.

Anonymous,  March 20, 2025 at 12:33 PM  

Very helpful update - thank you! I wonder, though, how long it will be before we're told the Spartan Center is too old/outdated to be maintained and have to replace that. Instead, how about being visionary and trying again to get funding to build a new, comprehensive facility that will serve the city for MANY years to come?

Also, can we give feedback to the city about this plan or is it too late?

Anonymous,  March 20, 2025 at 10:45 PM  

The old location is now a better option, since the opening of the light rail near by. the town hall option was before the light rail. Putting it near the old location would now make more sense.

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