The North Whidbey Pool, Park, and Recreation District plans to reopen the John Vanderzicht Memorial Pool in October with a limited schedule. District staff are in the process of hiring and training employees and restarting facility operations. The public opening date and temporary schedule will be announced when the facility is operational.
During an August 17th special meeting, the Board of Commissioners voted to reopen the pool on a limited basis as soon as an Interim Director was hired and received pledges from civic organizations in the amount of $80,000. The Rotary Club of Oak Harbor and the North Whidbey Community Pool and Recreation Foundation each pledged $25,000 and Mayor Bob Severns of the City of Oak Harbor committed money to complete the $80,000 threshold to reopen.
An additional $40,000 is still needed to keep the pool open continuously when the levy measure succeeds. The District will receive the first levy distribution in April 2019. If the November 6th levy ballot measure fails, the pool will close in November due to lack of the needed operating funds.
The Oak Harbor High School Girls Swim Team began practicing in the pool Monday September 24th. The temperature in the pool was in the 70s; the spirits were high after using various other pools for swim practice for the past month. This is the first step to reopening the facility as the water heats up, the District checks their equipment, and operations are restored.
Oak Harbor resident, Rex Coryell, was unanimously chosen by the board to fill the Interim Director position. His background in education and community recreation will be strong assets in getting the facilities and programs up and running again. He brings "a new face, expectations, and the blending of new ideas" to the District.
The District is seeking 20 cents per $1,000 assessed property value on the November 6th ballot to restore operations at its current facilities and to expand recreation opportunities for the North Whidbey community.
The fee schedule for temporary operations and additional details will be discussed during the regular monthly board meeting Thursday, September 27th at 6:30 PM at the pool. The public is welcome to attend.
Please refer to the District website (www.oakharborpool.com) or Facebook page for the most up to date information on the reopening.
