School District to Assess Sumner-Bonney Lake Aquatics as Potential Leaseholder of Sumner Pool

The clock is ticking. The Sumner School District Board of Directors has been forced to make some sort of motion regarding the future of the Sumner pool. At the July 13 Board meeting, they decided to move forward with an assessment of Sumner- Bonney Lake Aquatics (SBLA) and its ability to manage the facility.

“We are concerned any investment into the pool system at this time is a risk,” presented Director of School District Maintenance & Operations Mark Baumgarten. “Our recommendation is that the district would be best served in not investing.”

This decision was made after an evaluation of conditions of the facility by three separate firms.

“At any time another large component is likely to fail,” said Baumgarten.

At this point, the School District has two options: lease the pool or close the pool.

If the decision is made to lease the pool, the district would pay the cost of a pool cover ($14,000), the annual electric bill (currently estimated at $81,000, but board member Jeff DeMarre recalculated and guessed it would be closer to $43,000), and the first $5,000 of annual boiler repairs. They would also receive up to $10,000 for the next five years from a community member who has promised a donation if the pool stays open.

The leasor would be responsible for gas, water, sewer bills, staff and training, operations and management, public programming and facility rental management, but there would be clauses in the contract requiring certain kinds of programming (such as children’s swim lessons and senior aerobics classes) and preference given to Bonney Lake and Sumner teams over outside teams.

“It’s a contract until something breaks,” Legislative Representative Greg Hanon said. He expressed the concern that SBLA would walk away if the repairs on the aging pool became too much for them.

Vice President Richard Hendricks believes that the risk is “a small price to pay” for the use of a community pool, and repeated that the initial contract would only last until April, when the Board could decide whether or not to continue with the lease.

On the other hand, if the pool is closed, the district would pay $38,000 a year to send the Bonney Lake and Sumner High School swimming teams to King County Aquatics Center, where they would have the use of four lanes. The decision would have to be made soon so that Director of Athletics and Facilities Scheduling Tim Thomsen could reserve their spot.

With the board’s decision to move forward in the assessment of SBLA, there is the risk that the teams will lose the chance to practice at the King County Aquatics Center.

A committee will be formed to assess the viability of SBLA. Demarre and Hendricks volunteered to take part.  The committee will report their decision to the Board on August 17.