SplashForward

We are pleased to announce our SPLASHForward Aquatics Feasibility & Analysis Report is available. Check out our latest newsletter & watch for details on our upcoming Virtual Community Meeting on Oct 27th! Receive our newsletters in your inbox & stay in the know http://www.splashforward.org/latest-news

We earned a 2020 Gold Seal of Transparency! Now you and our community can see our commitment to financial accountability. Check out our updated #NonprofitProfile on GuideStar (now part of Candid ): https://www.guidestar.org/profile/83-2629157

The Shore Aquatic Center (formerly the William Shore Memorial Pool) in Port Angeles opened in late October after an extensive $20M renovation. A 10K sq ft expansion adding a large splash area with lazy river, 3 lane warm water therapy pool, locker & meeting rooms to the former 6-lane lap pool and spa. As pool director Steve Burke says "We have more demand than we have space, Burke said. One body of water is not ideal for all the different user groups we have. It’s a fairly... natural progression for what a community needs in terms of an aquatic center and this will provide a lot more options for recreational activities and programs. #Time4NewPools #InvestInTheFuture #AquaticsServesAllAgesAndAbilities City of Bellevue, Washington - Government City of Redmond - Parks & Recreation Kirkland, WA - Government King County Parks - Your Big Backyard See more

Sign up to receive our newsletters & stay in the know! We won't spam you, but we do a pretty good palm SPLASH if we meet up in the pool. #TxtSPLASHFWDto22828

This is what we all know to be true! The power of the water...healing, healthy, belonging, community building and should be accessible to ALL people in our community. Pools are 'Essential Community Institutions'....and we agree that they & LearnToSwim should be part of our public health policy. Pools = Community Happiness Let's do this together! #WeAreAllEqualInThePool #StrongerTogether... #Time4NewPools See more

Today is the day! Together we give & together we bring hope for a healthier future. #givingtuesday2020

We believe communities are stronger & healthier with safe places to be active & social together. We continue to work hard on behalf of the Bellevue School District, the City of Bellevue, Washington - Government and our regional partners. Together we aim to realize a best in class public aquatic center in Bellevue with programming to meet the aquatic needs of the school district, its families and all residents. SPLASHForward is working with City staff to refine design option...s to a single recommended concept plan, identify a site for the next design phase and is leading the effort for partnership development. Healthy communities create healthy economies. Our time is now to be ready as we recover. Learn how you can help us create an equitable future for access to aquatics. Visit www.splashforward.org/support and join us! #StrongerTogether #givingtuesday2020 King County Parks - Your Big Backyard

Introducing a new way to support SPLASHForward through Give with Bing. Join Microsoft Rewards, and your @bing searches will earn Rewards points that are automatically donated directly to SPLASHForward. Join now to start giving https://binged.it/39JO3dc

ALL of us are capable of accomplishing big things. Go Sarah! Adaptive swim lessons bring confidence & provide inclusion As we envision the new public Bellevue Health & Aquatic Center for Bellevue, we also envision investing in the existing Bellevue Aquatic Center as a warm water therapy and Learn to Swim facility. Having two warm water pools in Bellevue, one at Bellevue Aquatic Center and one at a new aquatic center, would be critical to meeting the current and future deman...d for warm water programming. "Currently, with very limited pools available in Washington State, the demand today for warm water therapeutic exercise and therapy providers is quite high. My clients travel weekly from as far as Mt Vernon to Tacoma to access the Bellevue Aquatic Center, the only facility that will work with their existing conditions and limitations. Therapy pools include swim lessons, aquatic fitness, special needs programming, and senior programming." Sandy Karlek, Owner of Nurturing Water Therapies LLC #adaptiveswimlessons #InclusionMatters #weareallequalinthepool Bellevue School District City of Bellevue, Washington - Government

Si View Metro Parks District has 2 ballot measures in the Nov 3 elections that need to pass to fund Phase 1 of their preferred concept design. Prop 1: A $23.7M Capital Bond Measure to fund construction & land purchase Prop 2: Levy Lid Lift for operating the facility... Both funded through property taxes. Si View MPD completed it's Feasibility Study in 2019 with preferred concept designs for a new aquatic center. A 46.5 Sq Ft, $24.2M facility that could be built in two phases that includes: * 25y 3 lap lane recreation pool with lazy river, water features and beach entry * 25y x 25m competition pool with deep water for 1m diving & climbing wall (Phase 2) * Indoor/outdoor slide and Outdoor Splashpad * Universal locker rooms, wet & dry classrooms, 2nd floor seating for 348 Project website & feasibility study: https://bit.ly/3dTBEn5 Si View Metro Parks King County Parks - Your Big Backyard City of Bellevue, Washington - Government

We are thrilled to have Julie serve on our Board & are united in bringing the gift of aquatics & water safety to all families in our community. The Points Living for shining the spotlight on Julie and her awesome family! Public access to aquatics makes our communities healthier & stronger. #healthandwellness #LearnToSwim #lifejacketssavelives... #WaterSafety See more

Last week's proposed 2021 Seattle Budget Plan sadly includes only opening 4 of Seattle's 10 pools in 2021 due to the staggering budget impacts of COVID. Listed to remain open are Southwest, Rainer Beach, Meadowbrook and Medgar Evers. Though there is some confusion on whether it is Madison not Meadowbrook. Seeking clarification. Any pool closure in an already starved public aquatics facility eco-system has tremendous ripple effects. These pool closures will be the last hope in... some of our youth’s aquatic experiences and for many a closed door before they even got started with the ability to learn to swim. And the many adult, senior and special needs programming that will be put on hold. We will post updates as the budget process plays out. Executive Summary https://bit.ly/3iuqF4l Parks & Rec Proposed Budget https://bit.ly/3iC00mk Photo shows the 6 pools proposed to be closed in 2021 until normal operations can resume. See more

Paris 2024 Olympics to get a NEW aquatic center and the only new venue for the games! With a dramatic timbre roof and building, it is beautifully, contextually and thoughtfully designed to accommodate multiple aquatic events and converts to a PUBLIC aquatic center afterwards. Some elements we share in our proposed Design Options... ... * 'Stretch 50m' competition pool with moveable bulkheads for flexible configurations * Configurable spectator seating (the concept, not the scale!). We envision 900 spectator seating and 720 on deck as the right size for a regional scale facility in Bellevue. * Dry-side amenities to support fitness and community spaces * Integration into the surroundings with natural light, timber, green design (solar panels on roof) and spaces. Design inspiration for a new PUBLIC aquatic center! #ContextualSustainableDesign #FlexibleSpaces #GreenDesign City of Bellevue, Washington - Government

We are one step closer to stacking the funding sources for new public aquatics centers in our region with TODAY's passing of the King County Parks Levy Grants program LEGISLATION which includes the FINE PRINT of the $44M Aquatic Center Grants Program. THANK YOU to the King County Council for their action today and a special thank you to Councilmember Rod Dembowski for his sponsorship & to King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci for her continued support for a regional eff...ort on the Eastside. Advisory Committees will form and the grant application window is expected to open in early 2021. The six year clock then begins for us to be ready on the starting line with our efforts for a regional scale public aquatic center in Bellevue. Go! #Time4NewPools #StrongerTogether City of Bellevue, Washington - Government City of Redmond, Washington -Government Kirkland, WA - Government

Seattle to reopen its first public pool on 11/16 for lap swimming & independent water fitness Medgar Evers Pool . Reservations can be made starting 11/9. Read the links for full details. Recall that only 4 of 10 Seattle public pools are to open in 2021 in the Mayor Durkin's budget proposal. Medgar Evers, Southwest, Rainer Beach and Madison.

Seattle Parks and Recreation design concept study for a new 90K sq ft community center at Green Lake is now complete. Estimated cost $100-120M. Bravo on the visioning & community engagement. Looking forward to supporting this effort & its next steps. Safe public spaces that bring people together for physical & emotional wellness create healthy communities. '50's & '70's facilities + a pandemic = time to plan & invest.... Let's do this together. King County Parks - Your Big Backyard Bellevue Parks & Community Services City of Bellevue, Washington - Government Bellevue School District City of Redmond, Washington -Government Kirkland, WA - Government #Time4NewPools #Partnerships4Pools #StrongerTogether See more

We warmly welcome ORCA SWIM SCHOOL as our latest ENDORSER to our SPLASHForward efforts! Orca Swim School teaches adult non-swimmers how to be comfortable in the water & enjoy water based activities. They have been teaching adults how to swim for 20 years. We applaud owner Cori Myka's mission & look forward to adding Orca Swim School's voice as we shape our vision for new public aquatics facilities & our shared goals for accessible Learn to Swim programming for all ages to ma...ke our communities safer, stronger & more connected. Orca Swim School - Adult Swim Lessons #learntoswim #WaterSafety https://orcaswimschool.com/

Yesterday, Governor Inslee announced an UPDATE to WA Safe Start guidelines that included changes that effect pools. * Much broader opening for pools. Except activity pools with play features and water contact facilities * Occupancy based on square footage with 50 person max (if feasible) * Swim instructors w/ beginner swimmers can break 6ft for a max of 5min with specific mask requirements... * Open swim allowed * Appointments required and still one person per lane recommended but no more than two, unless from the same household or swimmer requires a caretaker. This allows two people from different households in the same lane. Full guideline changes for Water Recreation (Public & Private Pools) https://bit.ly/3d6kZMK Full announcement and all updates https://bit.ly/3iLY6Q8 Washington State Department of Health Governor Jay Inslee

Get back to the pool! Beginning October 1st, Bellevue Aquatic Center's Blue Lagoon opens at 8am for reservation only public lap swim. Open 8am-4pm M-F, 8am-12pm Sat. Reserve your lane one week in advancehttps://bit.ly/3jgHQrg or call 425-452-4444 Bellevue Parks & Community Services City of Bellevue, Washington - Government

Join us on Dec 1st, #GivingTuesday2020, to support SPLASHForward. Please help us spread the word so we can maximize this fundraising opportunity. Our advocacy, thought leadership, private partnership and fundraising goals are what will make our shared aquatics dreams a reality. https://splashforward.org/support/ #strongertogether #time4newpools #Partnerships4Pools

So very close! Si View Metro Parks came within 3.6% of reaching the super majority (60%) needed to pass its $23.7M Capital Bond Measure (Prop 1). Both Prop 1 & 2 needed to pass to push King County's newest public aquatic center forward. Prop 2 (Tax Levy Lid Lift) is looking to pass. It will provide revenues for the Park District including capital support for a future aquatic center. Next StepsSeek funding sources & partnerships and conduct a public survey to understand poss...ible refinement before bringing it back to voters in 2021. Project websitehttps://bit.ly/3dTBEn5 Private Funding Sources & Partnerships are critical to success. Check out our SPLASHForward funding sources stack in our recent Community Webinar slides: https://splashforward.org/latest-news/ #time4newpools #partnerships4pools King County Parks - Your Big Backyard City of Bellevue, Washington - Government

We warmly welcome our latest endorser Seattle Mermaids ! Mermaids & Mermen love deep water & we are thrilled to add their voice to our efforts! https://bit.ly/2FjyWKV