With King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci leading the charge, Mercer Island’s Mary Wayte Pool received a massive boost in the form of a $2 million King County Parks Levy grant this week.

The grant is aimed at accessibility — specifically Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) needs — and maintenance improvements at the pool, which was built in 1972 as part of the King County Forward Thrust Bond issue. Originally known as the Mercer Island District Pool, the facility applied the namesake of Olympic gold medalist and legendary Island swimmer Mary Wayte to the spot in the early 1990s.

“I’m proud to have led the development of the King County Parks Levy in 2019 that provided funding for our aging local pools, including the Mary Wayte Pool on Mercer Island. Generations to come will benefit from being able to use this community resource,” Balducci said in a press release.

King County Parks noted that the grant application indicated that the project will commence in January of 2024 and reach the finish line by December of 2025.

Olympic Cascade Aquatics (OCA) contracts with the Mercer Island School District to operate the facility, which is located at 8815 SE 40th St., according to a previous Reporter story. The pool welcomes swimmers of all ages and abilities and holds club and school team meets, group and private lessons, masters and aerobics sessions, lifeguard training and rentals. According to a press release, OCA works with local community programs offering free water time to the Mercer Island Police Water Safety Patrol and the Fire department for their training.

Funding through the King County Parks Levy Aquatic Facilities Grant Program builds on an earlier King County Parks Levy feasibility grant awarded in 2022. The new ADA upgrades will benefit all visitors and spectators when making their way to the mezzanine area to view the variety of activities, and locker rooms, showers and restrooms will be renovated to meet ADA requirements. On the pool front, workers will make repairs to the bowl and exterior siding.

When discussing the importance of the grant, Balducci said that swimming at facilities like the Mary Wayte Pool allows everyone to be active throughout their lifetimes.

“Having places to learn to swim is critical to everyone’s safety and this grant will make it possible and easier for even more people to participate,” Balducci said.

In 2015, the pool received a makeover through resurfacing of the pool’s fiber glass liner, rebuilding of pool pumps, repainting and restoration of the locker rooms and landscaping around the parking lot, reads a previous Reporter story.

The Reporter reached out to the school district and OCA, but didn’t receive responses at press time. More information will be added when it becomes available.

For more information, visit https://www.mercerislandpool.com/