by Marcia Blas

The competition was fierce and an 18-year streak toppled on Saturday, January 16th during the traditional swim meet with O’Dea High School – the ‘local’ Fighting Irish – and, boy, they did fight!

O’Dea won the meet against Mt. Rainier High School, 106 to 83.

Not something Mt. Rainier’s Swim Coach Crowder wanted to emphasize, but it can’t be denied.

For one of Mt. Rainier’s own, though, it was the highlight of the season as Billy Ikeda defeated the meet record by 0.24 seconds in the Boys 100 Yard Breaststroke and won the heat in 1:02.17. He’ll be representing MRHS at division and state levels. His father mentioned that while Billy had a slightly better time at Hazen High School during the last meet, beating the record only counts if the record is beat at your home pool.

And, speaking of home pools, one might not even exist if it weren’t for the hard work and effort of the MRHS girls and boys swim teams, parents, and the community at large this past November. The Mt. Rainier pool was slated to close in 2010 if voters had not rallied to pass Proposition 1.

Many thanks go out to the supporters of our local swimming pools. Because of their commitment, the traditions, like the one which exists between O’Dea and Mt. Rainier high schools, remain intact. Elements in this swim meet do not endure elsewhere.

The audio blares hard rock songs like “Walk this Way” as O’Dea, in their maroon and gold athletic gear, sport mirrored swim goggles and swagger up to the starting blocks. The announcer plays up to the capacity crowd declaring the start of the 100 Yard Backstroke featuring Jacob ‘J. Stash’ Stashower (O’Dea), Jason ‘Big J’ Lemly (MRHS), Lee ‘Muddy Waters’ Rivers (O’Dea), Darius ‘Chocolate Kiss’ Carter (MRHS), John ‘Kitty Cat’ Liedtke (O’Dea). The Swim Program lists the times for Jason and Lee at 57.12 seconds. THIS is going to be close! The race doesn’t disappoint the screaming crowd.  Jason powers in for the finish in 56.26 seconds just 7/10’s under his wake drafting competition, Lee ‘Muddy Waters’ Rivers. With times of 56.26 and 56.99 respectively, both will be competing at the state level.

As the last event, the 400 Yard Freestyle, drew nigh, the anticipation grew. Grins began showing up on the long-time supporters with questioning looks from the newbie’s. The teams gather on the walkway that spans the pool to watch the race. By the second lap, Bro Hymn is playing on the sound system and both teams sing at the top of their lungs cheering on their valued teammates.

Competition is competition and the meet is about winning, but for these two schools and the tradition they hold together, it’s mostly about beating their own best times. When the announcer gave his thanks to the participants, he also asked how many boys beat their best times. About 70% raised their hands as the crowd cheered loudly.

The night ended with much camaraderie amidst a grand potluck hosted by MRHS swim team supporters.

And, just for the record…in 18 years some concessions must be made, but you can bet, with the support and enthusiasm the Mt. Rainier Boys Swim Team garners, and the great coaching staff of Omar ‘I am not passive aggressive’ Crowder, Todd ‘Baldy’ Wollenweber, and Schell ‘Mom’ Ross, the next concession will be a long, long, long time in coming.

Story by Janet Grella
Photos by Scott Schaefer

On a warm and sunny fall Friday afternoon in Des Moines, nearly 400 people rallied at the Mt. Rainier pool for a SOS (Save our Swimming) meeting, complete with one of the world’s fastest women swimmers, Ariana Kukors, along with one of the oldest, Des Moines’ own 104-year old Faith Callahan.

What do these two women have in common? They both train at the Mt. Rainier Pool. To honor them, Mayor Bob Sheckler presented them with certificates commemorating their achievements.

After the appropriate speeches and acknowledgments, Ken Spencer, pool manager and coach for King Contry Aquatics took to the pool, fully clothed as part of an impromptu fundraiser.

USMC private and pool supporter Chris Burrage told the audience that he credits “my father and the Mt. Rainier pool for making me what I am today.” Chris has just returned home to Des Moines from boot camp. “Every community deserves a pool, and this community will fight for this pool,” he added, to roars of approval from the crowd.

Willie Salmond, Jr., chairperson for the committee to Save Our Swimming, told The Waterland Blog that beginning Saturday (Oct. 10th), volunteers will start doorbelling and distributing literature about the pool and their cause.

The audience of both young and old enjoyed an old fashioned BBQ outside, while there was an open swim for anyone who wanted to take a dip.

One banner said it all, for the supporters of SOS:

If Prop. #1 doesn’t pass, the pool will close forever on December 31.

Here’s a photo slideshow by Scott Schaefer of the event:

Click to View Scott Schaefer’s Photo Slideshow

On the 34th anniversary of the opening of Mt. Rainier Pool (Sept. 15, 1975), a campaign called “Save Our Swimming,” intended to help pass Des Moines Proposition 1, launched its website at www.mrpoolsos.com.

In response to tightening finances, City Council members in July decided to allow the public the opportunity to put the pool on firm financial standing. Prop. 1 would create a metropolitan park district with the soul purpose of administering Mount Rainier Pool. It will be governed by a five-member board of commissioners that will also be elected on the general election ballot. The district would have the authority to levy up to 20 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation to operate the pool. With $280,000 the average assessment of a Des Moines home, the levy would be $56 per year, or approximately $1 per week.

If the measure fails, the pool will close on Dec. 31st.

The website carries information about Prop. 1 and how citizens can get involved in the effort to preserve swimming in our community. Upcoming events will be listed and details about Prop. 1 will be outlined.

Since voters approved Forward Thrust – a comprehensive bond package – in 1968, the citizens of Des Moines have supported a wide-range of water-related education at Mount Rainier Pool. Literally thousands of children have been taught to swim, seniors are extending both the length and quality of their lives with low-impact water aerobics, and families have had a safe, supervised place to recreate.

“Statistics show that nine Americans drown every day. Three of them are children,” said Gene Achziger, campaign media consultant. “The best way to combat those tragedies is to teach kids how to swim. And what better goal for ‘The Waterland City’ than to have water safety education available to every child?”

But Mount Rainier Pool does much more. One of the biggest proponents of the water aerobics program is soon-to-be 105-year-old Faith Callahan of Wesley Homes who exercises at the pool three days a week. SCUBA lessons are taught there and both Boeing and Alaska Airlines use the pool for water certification exercises for their flight personnel. Kick in the pool parties, CPR and lifesaving training, family swims and occasional full-immersion baptismal ceremonies and you’ve got one busy pool.

And then there are the girls and boys swim teams at Mount Rainier High that produce some of the best competitive swimmers in the state, many of whom continue their educations on scholarships at colleges and universities across the country.

Mount Rainier Pool also trains some of the best athletes in the world. Federal Way native Ariana Kukors swims for KING Aquatics Club that is based at the pool. She just shattered the world’s record in the 200IM while competing last month in Rome. Two of her practice partners are Olympians Megan (Quann) Jendrick and Margaret Hoelzer.

“Mount Rainier Pool has been one of the best kept secrets in Des Moines,” Achziger said. “Partly because it’s not on the main drag, and partly because it wasn’t able to advertise its services when the county operated the pool, not that many people realize what a gem we have here or even where it is.”

But thousands of school kids do know where the pool is and any previous times the City Council has addressed the issue of whether to close it, those kids and their parents have flooded City Council chambers to advocate for its retention.

“Parents have always strived to leave their children a better world than their parents were able to leave for them. Forty years ago, voters approved this wonderful opportunity for their children. It’s a wonderful legacy and certainly one worth preserving for the next generation,” Achziger added.

SOS is chaired by Willie C. Salmond Jr. and the treasurer is Nancy Kuehnoel. They can be contacted at: sosmrpool@yahoo.com.

Here’s more info on Proposition 1 as well as the history of the pool:

ABOUT PROPOSITION 1:
Prop. 1 would form a Metropolitan Park District to be governed by a five-member elected board of metropolitan park commissioners for the purpose of generating funds for Mount Rainier Pool maintenance, operation and capital improvement expenditures.

The initial levy amount would be set at 20 cents per
 $1,000 of assessed property valuation ($56 annually
 on a typical $280,000 Des Moines home). Under state
 law, once the tax rate has been set, it can only
 increase by a maximum of 1% per year unless
 approved by the voters.

POOL BASICS:
Located on the southwest edge of the Mount Rainier High School campus, Mount Rainier Pool is a 14,640 square foot facility in the City of Des Moines.

The tank itself is a six-lane competition style pool that varies from 3 feet in the shallow end to 12 feet in the diving tank/deep end. There is a movable bulkhead that separates the pool into two sections that is currently fixed in place due to several challenges associated with moving it. The volume of the pool is 240,000 gallons that are circulated every 6 hours through two high rate sand filters.

The pool had a minor upgrade in 1987 and a major mechanical system upgrade in 1997. A small amount of electrical system and architectural ceiling work was also completed as part of the 1997 upgrade.

Mount Rainier Pool is managed by Aquatics Management Group, which also manages the former Kent Forward Thrust pool.

The pool is generally open to the community year round from 5:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. In addition to recreational and lap swimming, classes in beginning swimming, lifesaving and CPR are conducted. There are programs for low-impact aerobics for seniors and the infirm. The pool is also rented periodically for events ranging from birthday pool parties to baptismal ceremonies. SCUBA lessons are conducted and, periodically, both Boeing and Alaska Airlines use the pool to train personnel for water safety certification.

Also, the pool is heavily used for competitive sports on the local high school and swim club levels. Mount Rainier Pool is the “home” facility for the Mount Rainier, Highline and Tyee high schools swimming and diving teams. KING Aquatics Club, which boasts both Olympic and World Champion level swimmers, also uses Mount Rainier Pool as a practice facility.

ABOUT FORWARD THRUST:
On Feb. 13, 1968, King County voters passed Proposition 3, the $118 million parks and recreation component of the comprehensive Forward Thrust bond issue. The vote was 64.7 percent in favor. At the time, it was the largest parks and recreation bond passed in the United States.

This led to the construction of Mount Rainier Pool in Des Moines. The pool was formally dedicated on September 15, 1975. Virtually all of the pools were erected on local school district property, in this case the Highline School District.

KING COUNTY BUDGET CRISIS:
Facing budget constraints, King County announced in 2003 that it intended to transfer ownership of its Forward Thrust pools to local municipalities or close them unless such agreements could be reached. Mount Rainier Pool was operated by King County until Jan. 1, 2004, when the cities of Des Moines and Normandy Park assumed the Mount Rainier Pool Lease Agreement originally negotiated between King County and Highline School District. On March 6, 2009, ownership of the pool was transferred to Highline School District.

LOCAL BUDGET PROBLEMS:
By interlocal agreement, the cities of Des Moines, Normandy Park and SeaTac, along with Highline School District, are members of the Mount Rainier Pool Contributors through Dec. 31, 2009. With the opening of a new YMCA pool in SeaTac, that city has now dropped out of the contributors group. Highline School District has indicated it will no longer contribute to the MRPC after the end of the year, but will negotiate a lease to a suitable entity for continued operation of the pool.

In response, both the cities of Des Moines and Normandy Park have placed propositions on the Nov. 3 ballot to create metropolitan park districts to oversee and operate Mount Rainier Pool.

There are, however, important distinctions between the two propositions. Des Moines Prop. 1 would levy an assessment of 20 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation and encompass only the operation of the pool, while Normandy Park Prop. would levy an assessment of 75 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation an encompass operation of the pool and Normandy Park’s entire parks and recreation operation.

Also, while the Normandy Park metropolitan park district would be governed by the existing city council, the Des Moines pool metropolitan park district will be governed by an independently elected 5-member board of commissioners.

Candidates for those positions will also be on the Nov. 3 ballot.

Because each city’s propositions will be approved or rejected independently, the assessment in the Des Moines proposal would generate enough funds on its own to maintain and operate Mount Rainier Pool. The amount of the Des Moines levy could be reduced if both cities pass their propositions.

Based on Des Moines’ 2009 assessed valuation of $3,239,586,031, a levy of 20 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation will generate $647,916 per year. Broken down to the average $280,000 household, the share of the levy would be $56 per year, or $1.08 per week.

The current operations subsidy for the pool is approximately $100,000. However, since transfer of the pool from the county in 2004, there has been little maintenance of the facility. It is a 35-year-old building and does need repairs and upgrades. Consultants have identified $2.5 million in improvements that would need to be made over the next 10 years, thus the need for the extra revenue generated by the levy.

Language that will appear on the Nov. 3rd ballot for Prop. 1 (download/view PDF file here):

PROPOSITION NO. 1

FORMATION AND FUNDING OF DES MOINES POOL METROPOLITAN PARK DISTRICT

Des Moines Resolution 09-095 proposes creation of the Des Moines Pool Metropolitan Park District coextensive with the City’s boundaries pursuant to 35.61 RCW, including the authority to levy a general tax on property within the District each year not to exceed twenty cents per thousand dollars of assessed valuation, for the purpose of acquiring and operating a pool facility. A five- member board of commissioners, elected at large, shall govern the District.

o For the formation of a Metropolitan Park District to be governed by a five-member board of commissioners to be elected at large.

o Against the formation of a Metropolitan Park District.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

• Candidates For Five Pool Commissioner Positions Announced
• City Seeking Residents To Write Pro & Con Statements For Pool District Resolution; Deadline Is Wed. Aug. 12th

Candidates for the “Des Moines Pool Metropolitan Park District Commissioner Positions” (try saying that three times quickly) have been formally announced by the King County Elections Board:

• Position No. 1: Gene Achziger
• Position No. 2: Eric Kasnick
• Position No. 3: Bernadette Barrett
• Position No. 4: Marty Martinson
• Position No. 5: Nancy N. Kuehnoel

It appears that all will run unopposed. The special filing period for these positions ended Friday, Aug. 28th.

This new “pool district” will create a property tax of up to 20 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation, so a home valued at $300,000 would pay an additional $60 per year to fund the pool. According to city documents:

“Des Moines Resolution 09-095 proposes creation of  the Des Moines Pool Metropolitan Park District coextensive with the City’s boundaries pursuant to 35.61 RCW, including the authority to levy a general tax on property within the District each year not to exceed twenty cents per thousand dollars of assessed valuation, for the purpose of acquiring and operating a pool facility. A five-member board of commissioners, elected at large, shall govern the District.”

Here’s the language used in Resolution No. 1109:

RESOLUTION NO. 1109: A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF DES MOINES, WASHINGTON

Establishing November 3, 2009 as the date for an election on the question of the formation of a Metropolitan Park District within the City of Des Moines to generate funds for acquisition, maintenance, operation, and/or capital improvement/construction expenditures for a pool facility within the boundaries of the City of Des Moines, and on the election of the five initial Metropolitan Park Commissioners.

WHEREAS, RCW 35.61.010 provides that a metropolitan park district may be created for the management, control, improvement, maintenance, and acquisition of parks, parkways, boulevards, and recreational facilities. A metropolitan park district may include territory located in all of one city, when created, and

WHEREAS, in December of 2002, Des Moines and the City of Normandy Park entered into an Interlocal Agreement to assume ownership of the Mt. Rainier Pool from King County in order to continue operation of the Pool as the Mt. Rainier Pool Owners, and

WHEREAS, pursuant to the terms of the original agreement between King County and the Highline School District, the terms of which were continued under the ownership agreement entered into by Des Moines and Normandy Park, the ownership of the Mt. Rainier Pool reverted to the Highline School District on March 6,2009, and

WHEREAS, in March of 2009, the Highline School District and the City of Des Moines entered into an ILA for the continued operation of the Mt. Rainier Pool until December 31, 2009, and

WHEREAS, the City of Des Moines and the Highline School District do not have the resources to continue to manage, maintain, and operate a Pool, and

WHEREAS, Mt. Rainier Pool or another pool facility provides a benefit to the citizens of Des Moines as a multi-generational facility that serves as one center of our community, one that provides health and recreation benefits to all ages, strengthens the community, and enhances the quality of life, and

WHEREAS, the continued operation beyond December 31, City, and City Council strongly supports that the of the Mt. Rainier or other Pool facility 2009 would be in the best interest of the

WHEREAS, after consideration of various alternatives, the Council has recommended formation of the Des Moines Pool Metropolitan Park District, organized under chapter 35.61 RCW, to acquire and operate the Mt. Rainier or other pool facility; now therefore, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DES MOINES RESOLVES AS FOLLOWS:

Sec. 1. requested to be November 3, 2009 electors of the Request for election. An election is hereby held within the City of Des Moines on Tuesday, for the purpose of submitting to the qualified City, for their ratification or rejection, a Resolution No. 1109 proposition creating the Des Moines Pool Metropolitan Park District.

Sec. 2. The boundaries of’ the proposed Des Moines Pool Metropolitan Park District are coextensive with Des Moines city limits pursuant to chapter 35.61 RCW.

Sec. 3. The Director of Records and Elections of King County, Washington is requested to conduct this election on the November 3, 2009 ballot.

Sec. 4. The Director of Records and Elections of King County is requested to include a ballot measure that shall allow the election of five Metropolitan Park Commissioners of the District, as set forth in RCW 35.61. 050, and to set, announce and hold a special filing period for those positions.

Sec. 5. The City Clerk is directed to certify to the Director of Records and Elections of King County, Washington by a date no later than August 11, 2009, acopy of this resolution and the proposition to be submitted at that election in the form of a ballot title as follows:

• This PROPOSITION NO. FORMATION AND FUNDING OF DES MOINES POOL METROPOLITAN PARK DISTRICT Des Moines Resolution 09-095 proposes creation of  the Des Moines Pool Metropolitan Park District coextensive with the City’s boundaries pursuant to 35.61 RCW, including the authority to levy a general tax on property within the District each year not to exceed twenty cents per thousand dollars of assessed valuation, for the purpose ofacquiring and operating a pool facility. A five-member board of commissioners, elected at large, shall govern the District.
• For the formation of a Metropolitan Park District to be governed by a five-member board of commissioners to be elected at large.
• Against the formation of a Metropolitan Park District.

ADOPTED BY the 23rd day of July, City Council of the City of Des Moines 2009 and signed in authentication thereof 2009.

City Council of the City of Des Moines.

If you’d rather wade through this actual document in all its glory, click here to view a PDF.