SWIMMING FACILITY

NATIONAL AND LOCAL TRENDS IN DEVELOPMENT

PROGRAMMING/ACTIVITIES AND PARTICIPATION PLUS

 

NEWS FROM OTHER SEATTLE PROVIDERS

 

Seattle Parks and Recreation currently operates 8 indoor and 2 seasonal outdoor pools.  The oldest is Colman Pool located in Lincoln Park, built in 1941.  The newest facility is “Pop” Mounger Pool located in the Magnolia neighborhood and built in 1998. The Evans Pool is the oldest of the indoor pools, built in 1951.  The other seven indoor pools were constructed with funds from the 1968 Forward Thrust Bond issue. 

 

All of the city pools (except Colman and Mounger) were built with the same basic rectangular shape, with water depths ranging from 3 feet to 12 feet. Colman Pool is the city’s only 50-meter pool. Mounger Pool is the only city facility that begins to reflect changing trends in pool design.  To better accommodate the younger participants Mounger has 2 pools, a recreational pool and a warm water teaching pool.  The teaching pool is kept at a warm 94 degrees, with depths running from 2 ½ to 3 ½ feet. Learning to swim is greatly enhanced by making children feel comfortable and secure in the water.  Building warm water teaching pools that have large areas of shallow water can create a comfortable atmosphere. 

 

Seattle Parks and Recreation indoor swim pools currently recover between 23 and 62 percent of operating costs.  The outdoor pools have a much higher recover percentage with Colman pool covering 85% of its cost and Mounger Pool coming recovering about 95%. Many pools throughout the country that feature creative water elements, cover all of their operating costs. By renovating and adding new amenities to our current facilities we can increase the percentage of cost recovery.

 

The rectangular pool or “Box pool” design is obsolete. 

¨     The shallow end is too deep for the young children. The majority of use occurs in the shallow half of the pool.  Newer designs have increased the amount of shallow water that is less than 5 feet in depth. 

¨     For those with limited mobility, especially the older participants or those with physical disabilities, ladders to get in and out of the pool are hard to manage. Queen Anne and Mounger have stairs leading into the pools, which greatly improves access for those with limited mobility.

¨     In a single pool facility, the water temperature cannot be maintained to keep the swimming experience comfortable for the wide range of pool users and the program activity.  The compromised temperature of 85 degrees is too warm for competitive swimming, lap swimming and water fitness classes and too cool for swim lessons and family swims.  A warmer temperature allows for improved muscle function in older adults and provides a better learning environment for small children.

¨     The older gutter design kept water about 12” below the deck level.  The newer designs bring the water and the deck to the same height.  This change makes the pool more accessible and visible from the deck.

¨     Multiple programming is difficult in one pool.  Programming flexibility increases with the addition of one or more bodies of water.  During peak use times there is high demand for lap swimming, lessons, water exercise, etc., which can all be accommodated with additional space.

 

The most popular trend in the construction of new Aquatic centers is a leisure type facility.  These facilities have 2 or more pools within the facility, which can provide different swim activities for all family members. These facilities may include “zero” beach entry, large shallow areas, moving water, fountains and spray features, large water slides, natural lighting, saunas or hot tubs, a café and artwork throughout.  Trends toward renovation of current facilities usually involve items that will make the pool more accessible to a larger range of participants, have the ability to handle diverse programs, and adds the element of family fun.  Some key features to add that would create a friendlier more useful facility may include;

¨     changing the design of pools to reduce the height of the high gutter

¨     adding entry ramps or stairs

¨     adding family changing rooms

¨     building warm water pools and spa’s

¨     creating or adding more natural lighting

¨     adding big water slides and water spray features

¨     developing larger area’s of shallow water

¨     adding artwork and color to liven up the facility, making a fun and festive atmosphere 

¨     multiple programming

 

Trends in aquatic programs have changed over the years as user demographics and demands have changed.  Some of the primary use changes that can be seen today and are expected to increase in the future are as follows:

¨     Swimming is a “lifetime” activity offering recreation opportunities for all ages. The combination of an aging population, longer life expectancy, earlier retirement, increased recreation time, and increased interest in fitness is expected to result in steady growth of swimming activity by those over the age of 50. In King County within the past five years, the senior adult population has increased by 5%. The number of senior adults in this area is projected to double within the next 20 years.

¨     Water safety awareness has increased.  In an education effort similar to seat belts and bike helmets, parents are more aware, and want their children to learn to swim. There continues to be expanding demand to become water safe at a much younger age. Currently in Seattle Parks and Recreation swim lesson programs, classes for children 3-6 years old are often full and waiting lists are the only way to get into a class.  Many city pools have gone to a lottery registration system to try and accommodate the large request for these lessons. Pools currently cannot offer enough classes for the younger children because of the lack of shallow water and demand for peak use times. 

¨     With older participants, the need for more fitness and therapy classes has become a high priority.  For this group, it becomes important to provide facilities with warm water pools, hot tubs and saunas. The general growth in population has put a strain on current city facilities by overcrowding many programs.  Without the construction of new facilities and/or the renovation and expansion of our current aquatic facilities, we will not be able to meet the needs of these changing trends.

 

On a national and regional level, the trend is moving towards the building of multiple pool, leisure type facilities.  Within Washington, Wild Waves located in Federal Way and Moses Lake Family Aquatic Center in Moses Lake are two examples. Most of the new pools built in Vancouver and Victoria, Canada are leisure facilities.  In the last few years Oregon has built several leisure facilities.

 

 

Other aquatic providers in the Seattle area include

¨     Colleges and Universities – Seattle University, University of Washington and Seattle Central Community College have pools.  Some public use times may be available. Most college and university pools have the same basic rectangular shape, with water depths ranging from 3 feet to 12 feet.  They cater mainly to their students, staff, faculty and their families. Competitive programs are usually their top priority.  Recreational programs are then scheduled around the competitive program.  Their main function is to provide aquatic programs for their participants with out revenue being a primary concern. 

¨     YMCA – Three pools are operated by YMCA in the Seattle area for use by members.  Pricing remains relatively low but general public access is limited.  The YMCA’s are non-profit organizations that are supported by membership fees. The YMCA’s are set up like a typical fitness center, with the added emphasis place greatly on youth/teen programs.  The pools tend to be the traditional rectangular pool type with saunas and spa’s added for their members.  They typically run swim lessons, water fitness classes, and recreational swims similar to those run by public aquatic facilities.  The main difference is that they usually do not charge fees for the recreational swim programs since they are included in the membership fee, but may charge an additional fee for instructional programs.

¨     Community Outdoor Pools – There are approximately 10 seasonal outdoor community pools in Seattle providing lessons, competitive swimming and general recreation opportunities.  Most of these pools have lengthy waiting lists for memberships, which confirms the high interest in outdoor swimming and demand for additional facilities. Community Outdoor pools are usually smaller than most public pools, are located within certain neighborhoods, and require their users to obtain a private membership.  Private membership may require that certain guidelines are met in order to become a member, such as a family’s residential address. Typically, recreational pool use is included in the membership fee, and an additional fee is charged for instructional programs.

¨     Private Fitness Club Pools – Private membership is the general requirement for the use of pools such as Seattle Athletic Club, Seattle Tennis Club, Seattle Club, etc.. Private fitness club pools often tend to be an added amenity for the fitness club.  Usually their first priority is towards weightlifting, cardiovascular machines, racquetball, tennis and dry land fitness classes.  The pools are typically rectangular in shape and tend to have water depth less than 7 feet deep. The main function of these pools is towards lap swimming and water fitness classes.  Swim lessons are sometimes offered with an additional fee.  Most fitness club pools include spas and saunas.

¨     Public pools operated by cities, school districts or King County Parks - The proximity to Seattle from several nearby public facilities makes these facilities easily available to residents of Seattle.  These public facilities tend to be operated with programs and costs similar to Seattle Parks and Recreation.

 

Plans to build new aquatic facilities in the area continue to grow.  The University of Washington has begun a campaign to build a 50-meter indoor training facility. The City of Renton has already asked the voters to approve an innovative new Aquatic leisure facility to replace the 44-year old pool that was closed due to structural deterioration.  The vote received 55%, but failed with the bond issue requiring 60% of the vote.