King County’s Best Starts for Kids Awarded $1.438 Million Grant to Advance Mount Rainier Pool With Critical Repairs

Grant to Fund Critical Repairs to 50-Year-Old Pool

Press Release - Nov 19, 2024
Air Handling Unit

DES MOINES, Wash., November 19, 2024 (Newswire.com) - The Des Moines Pool Metropolitan Park District is excited to share the news of receiving a $1.438 million grant from King County’s Best Starts for Kids. This generous funding will be used to replace the Mount Rainier Pool’s Air Handling Unit, which is crucial for maintaining air quality and temperature in the natatorium. The Air Handling Unit, responsible for removing toxins from the air and regulating temperature and humidity, is the most expensive piece of equipment at the pool. 

With this grant, the pool district can make these critical repairs without increasing taxes to cover the costs of these critical repairs. The Mount Rainier Pool will continue to focus on providing affordable water safety programming, fitness opportunities, and serving as a community gathering place. 

In addition to this grant, the Des Moines Pool Metropolitan Park District received $213,000 for boiler water tanks, plumbing, and strainer basket repairs for the Mount Rainier Pool. 

Patrice Thorell, Board Commissioner, expressed gratitude to King County Parks and the Best Starts for Kids grant program for their invaluable support, emphasizing the importance of swimming as an essential life skill. The funding will also enable the district to focus on finding a replacement for the 49-year-old Mount Rainier Pool, built in 1975 when the population of Des Moines was a fraction of what it is today. The district aims to increase capacity to better meet the needs of the current community, including important ADA upgrades. The air handling unit along with other repairs are scheduled to be replaced in August 2025, and updates will be posted on our website’s project page (www.mtrainierpool.com/aquatics-feasibility/).

About the Des Moines Pool Metropolitan Park District/Mount Rainier Pool

The Des Moines Pool Metropolitan Park District is a junior taxing district that governs the Mount Rainier Pool and serves the residents of Des Moines (Washington) and surrounding areas. The pool provides fitness, swim lessons, free lifeguard certifications, water safety training and a safe place for individuals and families in the area to recreate. For more information about the Des Moines Pool Metropolitan Park District and its initiatives, visit https://mtrainierpool.com/aquatics-feasibility/ or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

About Best Starts for Kids Grant

Best Starts for Kids is a King County voter-approved initiative to support every baby born or child raised in King County to reach adulthood happy, healthy, safe, and thriving. Through comprehensive supports from prenatal development to adulthood, Best Starts for Kids catalyzes strong starts in early childhood and sustains those gains as kids progress to adulthood, launching King County’s kids on a path to lifelong health and well-being.

To date, Best Starts for Kids has served more than half-a-million King County children, youth, young adults, and families in partnership with more than 500 community-based organizations.

Source: Des Moines Pool Metropolitan Park District

Share:

Tags: Grant, Seattle, Swimming

Related Files

About Des Moines Pool Metropolitan Park District

View Website

In 1968, voters of King County supported the construction of community swimming pools. In 2009, voters of Des Moines reconfirmed their desire to continue to maintain an indoor aquatic facility within the community. Mount Rainier Pool provides vital services to the community by offering swimming lessons, water exercise opportunities, recreation and high school swim team events. As the Waterland community, the concern of water safety is of great importance and the primary goal of the Des Moines Pool Metropolitan Park District is to ensure everyone, especially children, know how to swim.

Mount Rainier Pool originally opened on September 15, 1975 as a result of a bond issue in 1968 called Forward Thrust. The Forward Thrust bond eventually built 16 public swimming pools throughout King County. Budget constraints, beginning in 2000, led to the closure or transfer of many of these pools after county officials sought to turn the facilities over to local governments. Mount Rainier Pool was operated jointly by the cities of Des Moines, Normandy Park, Sea-Tac and the Highline School District until it was slated for closure in 2009.

The Des Moines Pool Metropolitan Park District was created by a vote of the citizens of Des Moines in November 2009 to acquire, maintain and operate Mount Rainier Pool. The measure was approved by 64 percent of the voters and five initial commissioners were elected. The first official meeting of the Des Moines Pool Metropolitan Park District was December 3, 2009. The City of Normandy Park and the Highline School District remain involved in the operation of Mount Rainier Pool.

Des Moines Pool Metropolitan Park District
22722 19 Avenue S
Des Moines, WA 91898
United States