Olympia loses regional partners for aquatics facility, looks to west side location instead
Plans to build a regional aquatics facility in Thurston County are still alive, but the City of Olympia is alone in the endeavor, after having no stakeholders, including neighboring cities Lacey and Tumwater, come forward with an interest in supporting the project.
After going back to the drawing board, the Olympia Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee recommended a new strategy, combining a handful of the city’s projects into one facility.
In a dream scenario, the plan is to use a 27-acre property at 4501 Harrison Ave. NW that is currently being transferred to the city from the Olympia School District. The deal is part of OSD’s plans to build a future school on the Yelm Highway Community Park property.
With the property being so large, the advisory committee recommended closing the Olympia Center and opening a new community center on the west side. That means Senior Services for South Sound, which now occupies the Olympia Center, would make the move, too. The campus also would include an Olympia police substation.
Parks, Arts & Recreation director Paul Simmons said during the Feb. 28 city council meeting that he didn’t want the aquatics facility to become another project put back on the shelf.
Olympia’s need for recreation
A staff report says aquatic needs in Olympia are underserved and unmet, and it forces residents to drive far distances for recreation. Without other cities’ involvement, Olympia looked at where the city could most use a community hub.
The Harrison Avenue property is near Capital Medical Center and Yauger Park, as well as Capital Mall. There are plans to expand the area and make Highway 101 more accessible from the intersection. And it’s the only piece of property in the city’s catalog that would be big enough to hold everything.
According to the Washington State Recreation & Conservation Office, the median household income in the area is $35,580, which is well below the state average. And the disabled population is 21%, which is above the state average of 13%. The mortality rate is also higher, sitting at 926.94 per 100,000 compared to the state average of 691.7.
Simmons said he thinks this is an area that could use investment.
Meanwhile, the Olympia Center at 222 Columbia St. NW is aging. Scott River, director of recreation facilities, said the building is in good condition, but it isn’t suited for what the city wants to do.
River said technological needs have changed since the center was built in the 1980s. He said there also are security issues for staff and visitors, there’s little parking and the community meeting space is hardly ever available to the public.
Deputy police chief Sam Costello said there are five entrances, which can be difficult for security.
Simmons recommended closing the center downtown and selling the building. He said they should use the money as a down payment on the construction of the new facility.
Senior Services’ needs
Brian Windrope, executive director of Senior Services for South Sound, said geographic expansion is a priority for their organization as the senior population continues to grow.
Windrope said the organization is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The community as well as the scope of services has grown within that time, and the current center is limiting what they can do. He said the center’s kitchen produces more than 1,300 meals a week out of a kitchen space that he called “pretty inadequate.”
Windrope said there are people who aren’t comfortable coming to the center downtown because of safety and access issues. He said they’d rather go somewhere else than have to worry about not being able to get inside because of a disturbance or lack of help and resources.
He said the organization is committed to maintaining a downtown presence to feed seniors and provide programming, especially as seniors increasingly move downtown. He said some of the most vulnerable seniors end up downtown for affordable housing, even though there aren’t many spots dedicated to seniors.
Police needs on the west side
Costello said the Olympia Police Department has always had a presence on the west side, but many people don’t know where it is. They are currently leasing a two-story building at 221 Perry St. NW, where the Crisis Response Unit and Neighborhood Policing Units are located.
But the facility is inadequate for the department’s current need to bring more service to the west side. There isn’t much parking, there isn’t much space for training, and nowhere for the public to meet with officers in a non-enforcement scenario. Plus, the department has grown by 20 full-time employees since it moved into the current City Hall building.
Costello said he wants the new substation to be a more public-facing facility like the one downtown, where people can come and have a positive interaction with law enforcement. A more modern facility could feature room for training and community use.
He said in case of a disaster and bridges were to collapse, he said it would be good to have a police presence on that side of the city.
The city hasn’t been able to solidify any financial commitment from potential partners who were originally interested in the project. The way it stands, the City of Olympia can’t afford to build and maintain the facilities on its own. It would likely come to voters as a special tax measure.
Simmons said that doesn’t mean the city is closing the door to regional partnerships. If the City of Lacey or Tumwater came to them and had an interest in supporting it, they’d be more than happy to make that happen and take on less of the financial burden.
He said since the last stakeholder meeting, the OSD and The Evergreen State College have expressed interest in a deeper partnership. But in the absence of regional partnerships, the west side plan gives the city a viable option forward.
The project is still in the feasibility phase, and the city won’t see an aquatics facility for some time still. The 2022 Parks, Arts and Recreation Plan has set aside $700,000 in 2025-26 for continued design work of an aquatic facility and community center.
This story was originally published March 5, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
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