North Whidbey Parks and Rec levy on ballot again

The only public swimming pool on Whidbey Island will remain open if the North Whidbey Pool, Parks and Recreation District levy passes in the November election.

It’s a simple replacement levy, supporting up to 20 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, which must be re-voted upon every six years. If it doesn’t pass, the John Vanderzicht Memorial Pool will close by the end of the year.

“It’s not a new tax,” said Commissioner Bill Larsen. “It’s not anything on top of what people are already paying.”

The levy pays for facility upgrades and program expansions that have occurred in recent years. While the cost remains the same, people are getting more bang for their buck, Larsen said.

Since Jay Cochran has been executive director, the district has seen programs expand like summer day camp activities, kayaking, arts and crafts and local adventures, youth sports leagues including volleyball, basketball and flag football, special programs like pickleball, kickball, robotics and fly fishing.

Larsen said they always wanted to be more than a pool and getting someone in a leadership position who had that experience with those programs was the key.

Kids benefit greatly from levy support, he said, as many of them learn how to swim at the pool. School teams practice at the pool.

“Whether you’re a new swimmer or a novice swimmer, or you’re somebody who’s serious about the sport, there’s something going on for just about everyone,” he said.

In addition to these new programs since the levy went up for vote six years ago, the district has replaced the pool’s boiler, locker room heater and filters and installed a new sanitation system, water slide, pumps, ball pit, registration system, dive blocks and hot tub renovations.

Before the next levy, the district plans on renovating locker rooms, installing a new tot pool feature, painting the exterior of the pool, replacing windows, installing a new spa heater and more.

At Clover Valley Park, the district recently installed new speed bumps, a pavilion, signage, dog waste stations, safety gates, fixed potholes, renovated storage and more. In the next six years, they plan to install new off-leash fencing, irrigation, chip seal and fog road and explore building a new pump track.

According to the advocacy committee for rejecting the resolution, since the last levy, property owners in Oak Harbor are now taxed to support two parks and recreation organizations, the City of Oak Harbor parks and recreation department and the North Whidbey Pool, Parks and Recreation District.

The committee states that property owners could save nearly $1 million annually by combining the two organizations that provide recreational districts to the same population.

At a March meeting, Oak Harbor Councilmember Jim Woessner addressed the idea of having the city take over the parks and rec district. He pointed out that $800,000 spent on improvements in recent years would have been absorbed by the 22,000 Oak Harbor residents as opposed to the 41,000 people of the greater North Whidbey district.

On Oct. 4, the district will host a free open house at the John Vanderzicht Memorial Pool at 85 SE Jerome St. in Oak Harbor 5-9 p.m. Staff will host facility tours, demonstrate aquatic programs and administer swim assessments. The event will end with a free open swim and a balloon drop.