CARES Act COVID-19 relief funds will help offset the cost incurred to operate the Washington city pool this summer. The city facility is managed each season by the YMCA. After opening a month later than usual and with no concession stand open to help produce revenue, the total loss for the season was $23,263.60.

YMCA of Washington County CEO Amy Schulte told council that safety and access to the facility were their top priorities this season, “We did open the pool, we did provide that service to the community. Some of the other communities chose not to do that. So, I think that Washington went above and beyond in these circumstances to make sure that we had that amenity. … So, it was successful in that aspect. Our top priority was everyone’s safety, so I was very happy to report that we did not have a single staff member who was infected during the season. We did not have a single report of anyone who was in attendance that came back later and said, ‘I tested positive, I was at the pool yesterday.’ We didn’t have any situations like that.”

At their regular meeting Tuesday, the Washington City Council unanimously approved a reimbursement for the loss. The loss is in payroll costs, as they were able to use mostly supplies carried over from the previous year. This year the attendance for the pool totaled 4,476 people, a drop of 65% and a revenue decline of 69%. In 2019, there were 12,873 visitors.