South Everett YMCA to get an indoor pool

Published 11:23 pm Sunday, December 16, 2007

EVERETT — Help is on the way for members of the south Everett YMCA, who saw their leaking outdoor pool dug up two years ago and have been without one since then.

A new indoor pool is just part of a $6 million upgrade to the building, expected to begin in June, said Gary Vangen, executive director of the Southeast branch. The building is at 13723 Puget Park Drive.

The new 25-yard pool will have four lanes for lap swimming and a slide for kids.

It replaces a pool first opened 25 years ago by the Silver Firs Homeowners Association, Vangen said. The YMCA took over the pool in 1988 and added a gym and locker rooms in 1995.

Other improvements in the 21,000-square-foot addition include a play area for children, locker rooms, additional parking, and a 3,000-square-foot multipurpose room for aerobics, yoga and other classes, Vangen said.

Work on the addition is expected to take seven to nine months.

An outline of the improvements has been posted in the building’s lobby. “There’s been so many smiles on people coming through the lobby when families realize the scope of it,” Vangen said.

Many members are excited about the pool, not only because the branch has been without one for two years, but because there are few other pools in the county, he said.

The new pool and locker room project adds up to about half the price of the cost of the overall $6 million project, Vangen said.

The YMCA had originally planned to add just the pool to its Southeast branch.

But as they considered the longer-term improvements that would be needed for a branch that serves a rapidly growing area, plans were upgraded to include the aerobic room, a children’s play area and other improvements.

The upgrade at the Southeast branch is one of several such projects now under way at YMCA branches in Snohomish County. They are being paid for through $15.1 million in donations raised during an 18-month capital campaign that ended earlier this year, said Al Boren, vice president of planning and development for the YMCA of Snohomish County.

Here’s an update on other projects:

Mukilteo: A $2 million, 14,000-square-foot expansion will have its grand opening on Jan. 12. The additional space will include a computer center, activity space for teens, a multipurpose space for younger kids and families, and enhanced wellness recreation activities for teens and adults.

Big Brothers Big Sisters: Construction on a new $900,000, 4,900-square-foot building at 3311 Broadway in Everett is expected to begin in May and be completed by the end of next year, providing both administrative offices and training and classroom space for kids and adults.

It replaces the organization’s current 1,900-square-foot building at 1420 Hewitt Ave.

The organization, a program of the YMCA, now has about 250 adult volunteers assisting 500 students, Boren said.

Everett: Additional parking for its Everett branch was opened earlier this year following the purchase of two lots at the corner of Everett and Rockefeller avenues for $1.15 million.

Monroe: The $11.5 million, 47,000-square-foot facility opened in September and is serving more than 7,000 members.

Reporter Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com.