Groundbreaking news!
Yes, we can still have nice things. And cake!
Last Friday, our community broke ground on a new pool. Over one hundred community members turned out (we beat the pickleball court groundbreaking!) to watch South Whidbey Parks and Rec Commissioners and Parks and Aquatics Foundation board members shovel ceremonial dirt and eat celebratory cake!
I first wrote about the pool project two years ago, when volunteers were busy at farmers’ markets and elsewhere in the community drumming up support for a bond request that would appear on the ballot that year.
Work on this project had stated much earlier, with another bond effort in 2008 that sank in the midst of the recession that put a stop to so many public infrastructure projects.
As I wrote in November 2023, this time the effort was successful, with 62.6% of the district voting in favor.
It took close to two years for an architectural design to be completed and bids to be received. Some items had to be sacrificed to increased costs and looming tariffs, but the heart of the design remains intact.
The pool is centrally located in the district on our main park grounds and within walking distance of our schools, helping the aims of having every third grader learn to swim, and of having our high school swim team to practice and meet on the Island instead of starting their day with a 4:40 ferry to the mainland.
Speaking of schools, next door to the park, contractors were working on a new roof and other improvements to the high school under an $80 million bond that the voters also passed in November 2023, likely at least in part on the coattails of the pool bond.
Once again, this little island has shown that the tireless actions of passionate volunteers focused on a local issue really can make a difference. In two weeks, there will be another groundbreaking, this one for a low-income housing project.
I’m so happy to call this place home.
Do you have a success story to report from your community? Please tell us all about it in the comments below.
I was away for most of August on a road trip through the American West. I collected lots of stories which I’ll be sharing with you through the fall. To make sure you don’t miss any, just hit the subscribe button below to become a free or paid subscriber.