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WMS Aquatics built a new pool for Kettle Falls for approximately $2.5 million dollars which included a new pool and mechanical room, but did not include a new or remodeled bath house.
DAYTON–Columbia County Parks and Recreation District Board (Pool) heard a presentation from Lyle Smith, CEO of WMS Aquatics at the July 25, 2024, meeting.
WMS Aquatics is a family-owned company that sells and builds pools primarily to commercial entities such as YMCAs, hotels, HOAs, and Parks and Rec Districts. They are a worldwide sales company but offer building services to Washington, Oregon, and Idaho and offer maintenance services to Washington.
Board members learned about the company through a news article that talked about the opening of the new Kettle Falls pool which listed WMS Aquatics as the builder. Board Chair Dianne Mckinley contacted Smith, asking him to present information about his company, and the pool process to the rest of the board.
"I truly am passionate about being here and letting you guys pick my brain and then share the process with you," said Smith. He believes setting up a good working relationship with his customers initially with good communication and idea sharing benefits both the provider and the receiver. "What sets us apart from the rest, is we start a good working relationship with customers that will continue not only until the completion of the build but well after into the maintenance of the pool over the years," remarked Smith.
Smith recommended that the board tour pools in cities and town around the state of a similar size to get an idea what is working for those communities, and lock in the list of needs the Dayton pool would want and/or require. He believed the district could save time and money if they were to choose an already constructed pool design, which would alleviate the need for an architect.
WMS Aquatics built a new pool for Kettle Falls for approximately $2.5 million dollars which included a new pool and mechanical room, but did not include a new or remodeled bath house. The city did the remodel on their own with other funding. This price was a pleasant surprise to the board, who had gotten a general estimate previously of $8 to $14 million. Smith also said that as far as a timeline, it would take at least 18 months to build the pool. This is after the funding, engineer approval, and permits are in place.
The Parks and Rec District (pool) commissioners next step is to plan a pool tour to view pools throughout the state. Next, they will hire an engineer to examine the present Dayton City pool site to see if the old location can be approved for continued use. If the site can be utilized, the following steps would then fall into place. The Parks and Rec Pool Commissioners would put out a call for bids for pool builders to submit a plan that fits the list of needs the board put together. At that point, once funding is secured, work can begin.
The commissioners are currently working to finalize the details of the upcoming levy that will be on the November ballot. If approved, property owners will see an increase of $0.20/$1000 ($20 per $100,000) assessed property value which will provide an estimated $200,000 to the Parks and Rec District in the first year. They also plan to apply for a grant opportunity in January. The amount of that grant is yet unknown.
The board is hopeful that they can gather all information to meet deadline, but it will be a big push to accomplish it this year.
In addition, the commissioners are seeking funding contributions by presenting to the city, county, and the Neighbors United for Progress group. No pledges of contributions have been approved at the time of this article.
The commissioners have set a date for a special work session for August 15 to work on the levy project.
