Waitsburg Parks and Rec votes to pursue alternative pool site.

WAITSBURG - The Waitsburg Parks and Recreation District(WPRD) board has received the feasibility study it commissioned from PBS Engineering and Environmental in 2024. The purpose of the study was to determine if a pool could be rebuilt at its current location or on one of two alternative sites.

The completed study shows a new municipal pool could be built on the alternative site on the north side of the Touchet River. On January 2, the WPRD board voted unanimously to pursue building the new pool on the alternative site.

"The district had concerns that we would not be able to rebuild in our current pool location, and spending more time on the north site has generated excitement among the district and Friends of the Waitsburg Pool," said Bart Baxter, chairman of the district.

Baxter said the location is close to downtown, accessible by Main Street sidewalks, has power and water, and is larger than the original site.

"The district is moving full steam ahead on obtaining specific cost estimates, images, and flood plain and FEMA paperwork, and we will have much more to show and share in 2025," said Baxter.

The city last operated the pool in 2019 before closing it and decommissioning the 100-year-old pool due to structural damage in 2022. An architectural assessment, paid for by the city, found the pool's structure, plumbing, and outbuildings had far exceeded their life expectancy and recommended replacement.

The newly formed Waitsburg Parks and Recreation District surveyed residents in 2022 and 2023 to identify their recreational priorities. The community identified a municipal pool as its top priority.

Since then, the WPRD has partnered with the Friends of the Waitsburg Pool, Rural Youth Enrichment Services (RYSE), the City of Waitsburg, the Waitsburg Commercial Club, the Walla Walla YMCA, and energetic volunteers to tackle this five-year project. The Friends of the Pool has raised more than $90,000 towards building a new pool, including nearly $20,000 from its Community Fundraising Concert and the donations from the Valley Giving Guide in December 2024.

The PBS assessment estimates the cost for a new pool to be between $1.7 million and $2.4 million. This does not include additional "hard infrastructure" costs, including a bath house, mechanical room, landscaping, and site improvements. There would also be costs for professional services, including surveying, architectural and engineering services, and permitting.

The current pool location and the alternative site on the south side of the river are both in the FEMA-identified flood plain, making it too costly to build a pool to code. Though the site on the north side of the river is also in the flood plain, PBS said it is possible to work through the FEMA procedure to make it a viable pool site.

The topography on the north side of the river is higher than the south side. Through initial topographical survey, certified flood plain determination, and hydraulic modeling of the Touchet River at the proposed north pool site, the professional team will make a better-informed recommendation on the site's viability. 

Donations to the pool project can be made at the Rural Youth Enrichment Services website at ruralyes.org. Or by check written to Friends of the Pool/R.Y.E.S. and mailed to Rural Youth Enrichment Services, PO Box 371, Waitsburg, WA 99361. Questions, comments or volunteers can go to info@waitsburgparks.org.