YMCA of Washington County is diving into efforts to raise funds for a new indoor aquatic center due to recent issues with its current pool.

The YMCA Indoor Aquatic Center located on East Main Street was closed from June 23rd until July 27th because of mechanical issues. This was the third closure for the pool since November of 2020 and the longest duration it had been shut down since its last major repair in 2015. YMCA of Washington County CEO Amy Schulte says the shut downs to repair a leak in November and December resulted in the loss of almost 10,000 gallons of water per month. Fortunately since that repair the utility costs have dropped dramatically, “It’s a 97-year-old pool so every time we have an issue that comes up we’re kind of on pins and needles trying to determine if it’s an issue that we can resolve. If the parts are going to be available, what is the cost going to be, especially considering the fact that we’re looking at building a phase two for a new pool. So that at this point is a factor as well.”

Schulte says the most recent shutdown has been a wakeup call that time is running out for their current facility which offers youth swim lessons, adult lap swims, aquatics classes, and swim team. This is also the only indoor public pool that is open year round in the county. The board of directors has approved the establishment of a building committee that is taking on the task of phase two of the building project to add an indoor aquatic center to the new facility on West 5th Street. They are also in the initial stage of their fundraising efforts by contacting past donors and key leadership to gain support of the project.