Snoqualmie, WA – Snoqualmie residents and others interested in a potential expansion of the Snoqualmie Community Center gathered at Cascade View Elementary School for a community meeting on June 9.
The Snoqualmie Community Center land and building are owned by the City of Snoqualmie and maintained and operated by the YMCA. Since it opened in 2011, Snoqualmie’s population has grown by 27%, but the facility has remained the same and has outgrown its space.
The expansion would include additional multi-purpose rooms, cardio space, locker rooms, and a warm water pool and lap pool of three to six lanes. Other features may include a public events plaza and outdoor spray park.
Following a presentation by Mayor Matt Larson, participants provided input at the meeting in small groups with guided questions such as “Features we’d like to see,” “What we’re excited about,” “What we’re concerned about,” and “Our recommendations.” Each group was asked to share thoughts from a different perspective, such as preschool, grade school and high school students, adults, senior adults, and families.
Residents had many recommendations such as adding social space, senior rooms, a full-sized basketball court, expanded parking, more external lighting, and longer hours, among others.
Many teens and tweens participated and expressed the need for more activity and gathering spaces for kids, the idea of a game room, a junior lifeguard program, and many pool-related recommendations.
A topic of interest to all age groups was the possibility of having an aquatics center. Resident recommendations included a zero-entry entrance, large shallow section, deep end for exercise classes and diving, six lap lanes of no less than 25 meters in length, warm-water therapy pool, scuba diving certification classes, and seating areas, among other ideas.
Areas of concern included project costs, resident affordability, the expansion not being large enough to fulfill growing needs, how the project will be funded, access for the larger community, competing pool proposals, and funding sources.
Mayor Larson is proposing a funding option whereby Snoqualmie residents would not incur additional taxes for the expansion. With the City Council’s approval, a randomized, scientific telephone survey of residents may occur in early July to gather more resident opinions.
The suggested features, concerns, and overall recommendations will be valuable as the City of Snoqualmie administration and staff continue to research expansion possibilities.
More information about the potential expansion including conceptual illustrations is on the City of Snoqualmie website at bit.ly/SnoqCCexpansion.
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Contact:
Joan Pliego
jpliego@ci.snoqualmie.wa.us
www.cityofsnoqualime.org
425-888-8014 / 425-281-3317