Crown Park & Pool Planning: Citizens Speak Up; Next Stop City Council

A well attended Parks and Recreation Commission meeting Wednesday night at Lacamas Lake Lodge was filled with varied opinions, emotional pleas, and ideas that demonstrated a city torn between preserving the local landmark, Crown Park Pool, and looking toward the future.

At issue is the 64-year-old Crown Park Pool, which is shut down because it doesn’t meet current health codes. At minimum, it would cost $300,000 to meet code, but that would only be a short-term band-aid. To get the pool functioning properly would cost the city $2.2 million — and it would still remain a summer pool that’s operational three months a year.

Parks and Recreation Commission President, Randy Curtis, said he was pleased with the 25-person turnout to view the proceedings.

“We’re pleased to have this kind of turnout,” he said. “The social media folks got a lot information out and that’s a good thing. Now we’re dealing with specific recommendations, and there will be time for public comments.”

Camas Parks and Rec Manager, Jerry Acheson, then presented the attendees with the Crown Park Pool history and master plan. He said the pool has undergone maintenance over the years, and that the public has responded to surveys on prospective plans.

The one consensus: The public wants some kind of pool.

Twenty-five people attended the Parks and Rec meeting.

He reviewed specific plans calling for a leisure pool, a water feature, and simply renovating the existing pool. What would the impact on traffic be at Crown Park with a new leisure pool? Not good, he said.

“We asked is this the right location for a new pool?” He said. “The answer was no. We thought ‘where would we build a new pool?’ Then we thought we should just focus on Crown Park. So, we reviewed adding a water feature and modernizing the park.”

After extensive research, Acheson said in November the commission recommended to City Council an option that Crown Park have no pool, but rather a new look and water feature. The cost: $3.2 million.

They also urged the council to start a new process to build a new pool in Camas — at a location not yet determined.

Pool — Public Comments

After Acheson’s presentation, 13 residents commented — and their opinions varied from building a new, state-of-the-art facility to preserving the Crown Park Pool. One thing was clear — there wasn’t enthusiasm for a water feature at Crown Park.

Colleen Purwins said she represented her daughter, Jacqueline, who’s a diver for Camas.

“My daughter wants a new pool facility with a 1-meter diving board so kids who want to learn how to dive can do so without having to train in Beaverton. She’s even willing to help out,” said Purwins.

Wayne Patterson advocated for a new pool and recreation center, and said he experienced the positive side of building such a facility in an Alaska town, where he lived previously.

Shannon Larson expressed her love of teaching kids how to swim.

”We can build a facility that can be profitable — or at least break even,” said Shannon Larson. “But what’s closest to my heart is to make sure that kids know how to swim …”

A Camas resident expresses her opinion.

Anastasia McDonnell advocated for the pool to stay, and doesn’t want a water feature.

”I want to preserve the current feel,” McDonnell said. “It’s the crown jewel of our town.”

Charity Feb said: “We love Crown Park Pool. It’s great to be able to afford this — to have it for the kids.”

Several others expressed similar sentiments — wanting to keep the pool and preserve the current look of Crown Park. Nobody was in vocal support of a water feature.

Niki Cantrell made a very emotional plea for a new state-of-the-art aquatic center.

”I have a swimmer,” Cantrell said. “For some kids, swimming is their only sport — it’s what they can do. We have a whole slew of kids in this town who travel extensively to compete, and I think this town needs an indoor/outdoor facility. We need to have something year-round so the whole community can enjoy it.”

City councilor Bonnie Carter reemphasized that “even if we have the money to repair it, just to meet code, the Crown Park Pool would still be closed for repairs this summer.”

Curtis said the city administrators heard from 20 residents via email on Wednesday alone advocating “for a new state-of-art pool.”

What’s next?

Curtis said the City Council will hear all public input from the meeting, along with recommendations, and they will decide how to proceed. Three city councilors were present at Wednesday’s meeting.

The City Council will meet this weekend at Lacamas Lake Lodge for their annual planning meeting to discuss this issue. The public is invited to attend, however, there is no opportunity for public comment.

To learn more, visit www.cityofcamas.us

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