Discussions about the fate of Mary Wayte Pool, now that the Northwest Center will end its contract at year’s end, lead in three directions.

The immediate goal for school and city officials is to find another operator to manage the pool for the next couple of years. Yet beyond the interim, the question remains as to what is to happen to the facility — and public swimming in the long term — for families on Mercer Island.

There are three ways that the city and school district could deal with the 40-year-old pool that is facing major repairs.

First, close or “mothball” the pool. Both the school district and the city say that they are “neither equipped to (run) nor in the business of running a swimming pool.” Along with the funding, the extensive maintenance and upgrades that are needed for the aging pool, operating the pool goes beyond what city and school district administrators say is their role in the community. Yet, closing the pool without some other option for community swimmers is a grim option.

Next, the city with the school district could turn to the existing four private pools on the Island to form some sort of partnership that would allow sharing of facilities to meet the demand for pool time.

Finally, the community could consider building a new pool on Mercer Island, or fix or renovate the existing pool.

The most expedient and least-cost alternative for providing swimming programs on the Island could well be working out a partnership with the existing privately owned pools. Anticipating this alternative, the city hired former employee Manny Ocampo to inventory Island pool facilities and use to gauge the capacity of each. But beyond the size and condition of the physical plant of each, there is a more important factor. Yet to be determined is whether or not there is interest in taking on at least some of the programs operated by Mary Wayte Pool.

Would the members of the private pools want to share their facilities? And if so, what would be the financial arrangement between the parties?

Mary Wayte Pool, named for the Islander Olympian, is 40 by 15 yards in size and has a 215,000-gallon capacity. It is busy. In 2009, some 4,000 individuals used the pool for public swimming sessions, with 9,400 for lap swimming, and conducted 13,672 swimming lessons. The pool is in use for the three swim teams of Mercer Island High School for a total of 550 hours each year. At least two other swim teams also use the facility and hold meets there.

The pool has just 48 parking places. Parking from swim meets often overflows into Youth Theatre Northwest parking next door. Ocampo’s report states that at least five times each year, swim meets “max out” the available parking.

The pool at the Stroum Jewish Community Center (SJCC) is the first one to come to mind when considering a public-private sponsorship. The pool is part of the SJCC campus, which is essentially a regional community center, but operates with the funds from private memberships and other sources. Similar to Mary Wayte, the pool serves a large population and has classes, lessons and activities for all ages and leases the pool sometimes to outside organizations.

There is a parking and good access. However, the Max Rind Pool there is less than half the size of Mary Wayte pool. The pool only has four lanes. Meets are not held there. There are no starting blocks. And the myriad of other programs at the SJCC keep the parking lot full most days.

The SJCC has been looking at options to expand the entire campus and potentially the swimming pool for some time. A capital campaign would be needed in any case to expand the facility. Beyond changes to the building, land would need to be purchased to the west of the pool.

The SJCC is, however, interested in working with the city to find a way to share facilities. “We have had some very preliminary meetings,” said Matt Grogan, the SJCC Senior Director of Operations. “We have told Rich (Conrad): we are interested.”

The SJCC pool has its limitations,” Grogan said, alluding to the size of the pool and constraints on meets. “We can accommodate swimmers, however. We would love to have more users.”

There would be a long list of issues that would need to be dealt with, Grogan explained. “All are achievable,” he said, though the list is extensive. “But none are deal breakers.”

It is too preliminary to discuss any financial implications of any arrangement, he cautioned.

Grogan is proud of the SJCC pool. “It is in terrific shape. It is a tile pool and has been recently re-grouted. It is a beautiful pool.”

A deal to share the pool would benefit the SJCC by adding membership dollars, Grogan conceded. “I do not wish to cash in on anyone’s misfortune, but we would love the extra membership and use.”

As for the other pools, it is one thing to look at available capacity and another to ask members what they think about sharing space for classes, meets and team practices.

At the Mercerwood Shore Club on East Mercer Way, pool manager Paul Von Destinon said the possibility of sharing pools has always been out there. Yet the Shore Club is private, Von Destinon said, and the club’s first duty is to its members.

It sounds good, he said, of a possible arrangement to share; “but our question is, how we square increasing the number of swimmers at the facility while serving our members?”

The Mercerwood pool is leased at times by other clubs, and the eight-lane pool and pair of diving boards are used for competition. But Von Destinon is not clear on how the club would handle meets with a ‘bubble’ covering over the pool and parking pressures. Dealing with those logistics may move beyond what the members wish for the club. “We do not have big plans for the future here,” he added.

Membership at the pool is down somewhat, he said. They like to have 375 families but now are down by 50 or more members.

The manager of the somewhat more exclusive Mercer Island Beach Club, Travis Roach, agrees that the primary issue for the sharing of their pool is determining what members want.

“Our board (of directors) will decide what direction we take,” he said. “But there is no proposal as of yet. Our concern is that we are a private club. We have to talk it over with our members. And the logistics have to be worked out.”

The club remodeled the pool and other facilities there just a few years ago and made changes that meet the requirements of the Virginia Graeme Baker law concerning drain safety The pool liner was replaced as well.

The club memberships at the Beach Club are fully subscribed. There is a 40-member waiting list. A membership requires $6,200 to join and a monthly fee of $160.

To read previous stories about Mary Wayte Pool, go to www.mi-reporter.com.