County Wants To Pool Funds With Ymca But Plan To Deep-Six Valley Mission Pool And Help Build Mirabeau Aquatic Center Could Face Legal Question

Spokane County commissioners want to use $1.3 million earmarked for replacing an outdoor swimming pool to help build a private indoor pool instead.

If approved, the deal would mean the county won’t replace its crumbling pool at Valley Mission Park. Instead, the money would go toward a $5.3 million aquatic center the YMCA of the Inland Empire plans to build at Mirabeau Point.

Mirabeau, former home of the Walk in the Wild zoo, is about a mile from Valley Mission Park.

In addition to the county’s upfront payment, YMCA officials asked commissioners to commit $36,000 a year to help low-income kids join the YMCA. Youth memberships would cost $6 a month or $72 a year.

Kids who aren’t members could swim for $3 a day compared with $1 for a one-hour session at the county pool.

Commissioner Phil Harris said $36,000 is about what the county spends to operate the Mission Park pool three months a year. The YMCA’s pool would operate all year.

“If we tried to turn Mission pool into a year-round facility for county residents, it would cost a lot more than $1.3 million,” Harris said.

The YMCA complex would include a competition pool, a smaller pool for swimming lessons and a recreational pool with a water slide.

Without the county contribution, YMCA officials said, they would have to eliminate the instructional pool and build a smaller pool for competition.

County attorney Jim Emacio told commissioners Tuesday they might not be able to hand over the money without special legislation. Otherwise, he said, it might be considered an illegal gift to a private agency.

“I don’t want to hear … why we can’t get this done. I want to hear how we can get it done,” said Commissioner Kate McCaslin.

The YMCA’s plans are one part of the planned $70 million Mirabeau Point project, which would be funded with private and public money.

About $16.45 million has been committed so far, including $1.5 million approved by the Legislature for design and site development, $4 million for a private ice rink and the $1.7 million value of the 70 acres donated by Inland Empire Paper Co.

The county has not built a pool since 1968. Commissioners proposed closing three of the four pools in 1994, saying the county couldn’t afford to make improvements.

But they relented amid protests from county residents and plan to make more improvements between now and 2000.

, DataTimes