SNOHOMISH — The vacant Hal Moe Pool site in Snohomish is going to be demolished and converted into a park.
A committee of volunteers has met with a project manager for six months discussing ideas for the property. They proposed three options. City Council members voted unanimously in favor of the park, the least expensive proposal, during a June 20 meeting.
Denise Johns, the Hal Moe Pool project manager, said the existing building will be torn down. They hope to build a covered area near the playground and over the skate park for the rainy seasons. People living in town submitted suggestions to the committee, including art displays, walking paths and an amphitheatre.
The school district previously owned Hal Moe Pool until a new aquatic center was built on Maple Avenue. The property was then sold to the city in 2013.
For years Snohomish kids learned to swim at the once open-air community pool. It was a rite of passage for many to leap from the high diving board into the deep pool below.
Hal Moe Pool has remained boarded up for about 10 years, Johns said. (Take a look at a slideshow of the facility’s current conditions.)
Discussions began about what to do with the vacant building.
A 2014 phone survey conducted by the city showed that 73 percent of respondents wanted to redevelop the land into a park. The second most popular preference was to turn the space into an outdoor community event venue.
Johns said the committee had initially hoped to design the property in a way that accommodated multigenerational use, meaning indoor and outdoor facilities.
Architects developed options for the City Council’s consideration.
The committee recommended transforming the site into a park as the best option.
“The reason had to do with what the community wanted and what we could afford,” Johns said.
Project costs were estimated at $2.24 million.
The second option was to construct a community room that could be used for neighborhood and business meetings.
The final proposal was an all-weather community, sports and events venue.
If the city had decided to pursue the park and the other options, too, it would cost about $4.75 million, according to a report supplied to the City Council.
A structural assessment of the existing structure showed the concrete building needed to be replaced. It no longer meets seismic codes. Johns said a remodel of the building would not be cost effective.
“There’s so much value in having park land,” Johns said. “We thought it was best to pursue that direction.”
Funding from real estate taxes is expected to cover $700,000, which would pay for the removal of the building, filling the existing pools and returning the site to park land, according to the report. An additional $150,000 has been allocated toward the building’s redesign.
Johns said the city has begun the master planning process. She expects to have a blueprint of the property to share by late fall. Construction is expected to begin as soon as possible.
Caitlin Tompkins: 425-339-3192; ctompkins@heraldnet.com.
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