EVERETT — The Everett Parks Sharks have been given a six-week reprieve.
At a meeting Wednesday night with members of the youth swim team and their parents, Mayor Ray Stephanson agreed to allow the Sharks to continue to use the Forest Park Swim Center until they can find another place to practice.
Stephanson eliminated the team’s $57,000 subsidy from the city budget as part of $3.5 million in cuts.
"The intent of eliminating this program was never to destroy something," city spokeswoman Kate Reardon said. "We want to allow kids to be in the pool while we work with them and help them make a transition."
Eight Sharks parents and two team members will meet with city officials over the next several weeks. Among the possibilities is having the Sharks become a private team and rent lanes in the swim center, or having existing private teams in the area absorb Sharks members.
In addition, the Everett Family YMCA is considering whether to sponsor the team, said Ted Wenta, executive director of the Everett YMCA. But the Y will only pursue the matter if the Sharks and the city invite it to do so, he said. The Y also hasn’t determined whether it could afford to sponsor the team, Wenta said.
Reardon said the decision to withdraw the subsidy has to be considered in the context of the 853 classes each year that the parks department holds.
In analyzing parks programs, "we have to look at what the service is, how many people benefit from the program, and what the cost is for the program," she said.
The Sharks has 79 members, Reardon said. Everett apparently is the only city in the county with a municipal swim team, she said.
Gina Wilson said she might have to withdraw one of her two girls from the Sharks if the fees for a private Sharks team prove to be too high. She worried that existing private swim teams emphasize winning over qualities such as teamwork and having fun.
Joseph Wenzel, who has an 11-year-old girl on the Sharks, said he’s still unhappy that the parks department is dropping the team. But he said he’s glad the city is helping the team find a solution.
"It took all of us yelling and screaming and going to the council for this to happen," he said. "I don’t think they realized there’d be a backlash."
Reporter David Olson:
425-339-3452 or
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
