Nov. 18, 2003 News Release Sims reaches agreement to transfer final urban pool King County Executive Ron Sims today announced an agreement with the cities of Des Moines and Normandy Park, who will jointly own and operate the Mt. Rainier Pool. Mt. Rainier is the tenth and final in-city urban pool to transfer in King County's shift to a regional focus. "The leaders of Des Moines and Normandy Park have my deep thanks and appreciation for working to keep this pool open for the enjoyment of their citizens," said Sims. "The county's fiscal situation meant we could no longer guarantee pools inside cities would remain open. In a very short time, cities and nonprofits stepped forward with resources and commitment to keep 10 pools open and serving their citizens. This spirit of cooperation serves the region well." In response to a budget crisis facing the King County Parks Division Sims created an advisory group that issued a blueprint in the spring of 2002 for saving county parks. That blueprint calls for generating new revenue through entrepreneurial initiatives, cutting costs and focusing on regional park assets and resource and ecological lands. As part of focusing on regional assets the blueprint adopted by Sims calls for transferring local pools and parks to the cities they serve. Mt. Rainier Pool is the latest success of that plan which has seen the transfer of all 10 urban pools, saving more than $4 million, and 17 parks, saving more than $1 million. The pool is set to transfer January 1, 2004 pending action by the King County Council. The pool has been open this year operating under an agreement where King County was paid to operate the pool. As with other pool transfer agreements, King County will give Des Moines and Normandy Park $50,000 for capital improvements. "In the last year and a half, we have taken tremendous strides to stabilize our parks financially and operationally," said Sims. "We have transferred 10 pools and 17 parks, saving more than $5 million, we have generated new revenue with initiatives like the Marymoor Concert Series, and we are working with local organizations on partnerships that will save maintenance costs." Related Information King County Swimming Pools King County Parks Business Plan Low flow is the way to go at King County pools and parks News Releases

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