by Friends of Lopez Island Pool
The long-awaited construction of the Lopez Swim Center, located on 2.5 acres just off Center Road, is officially underway, marking a significant milestone for islanders. With two pools—one four-lane lap pool and one warmer-water wellness pool—the Center promises to be a beacon of health, wellness, and recreation for residents and visitors of all ages.
Friends of Lopez Island Pool board and committee members were on hand for the first shovel in the ground. Plans are underway for a community event to celebrate this milestone moment later this fall.
Sage Building Solutions, owned by longtime Lopezians Jenny and Doug Poole, is the general contractor for the project. They bring their expertise and commitment along with Donnie Poole as site superintendent. Other local contractors are involved: MR Buffum of Lopez Sand & Gravel is currently doing excavation and site work; local architects Lois and Bob Wardell of Wardell Architects are helping shepherd the project; and Tom Froning of Lopez-based design-build firm Soundesign is FLIP’s Owner’s Representative.
“There has been a tremendous response by local contractors to help bring this long-awaited vision to reality,” says Executive Director Anne Marie MacPherson, “and to do so in the most cost-effective way possible.”
Construction kicked off with site mobilization and preparation during the first week of August. Utilities are getting placed and, once site grading is complete, excavation for the two pools will begin. The steel-framed Myrtha pools purchased earlier this year are already in storage on-site.
Construction is expected to take about 12 months, with the Swim Center slated to open in Fall 2025. Final fundraising efforts will run synchronously with the construction project to complete the capital campaign.
The Swim Center will be a year-round place for the community and visitors alike to come together for fun, fitness, and healing. From community gatherings to outdoor BBQs on the lawn; to exercise classes and physical therapy; from lap swimming to camps and family Dive-In Movie nights, the Swim Center will have something to offer everyone. In the summer, the pools will be open-air, so that swimmers can bask in the sunshine. In the winter, the pools will be enclosed within a heated, air-supported structure, which offers significant cost-savings upfront compared to a conventionally built natatorium.
Operating as a nonprofit, the Swim Center will be open to the public but will not rely upon property tax monies or levies. Instead, user fees (including memberships, drop-in and weekly passes), fitness class and training fees, summer and winter camp tuition, and special event and facility rentals will support the Center’s financial viability, now and in the future. Scholarships, sponsorships, and discounted memberships will ensure all who want to swim can join the fun. (For more details on proposed membership tiers, visit FLIP’s website.)
The Center is currently recruiting skilled swimmers, aged 15 and up, to participate in lifeguard certification training in preparation for paid positions as lifeguards, junior lifeguards, and swimming instructors. The first informational meeting this fall will be on Tuesday, Sept. 10, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the Lopez Library’s meeting room.
As operations unfold, FLIP is looking for more community members to join the inaugural crew and help with events and prepare for opening day! Visit www.lopezislandpool.org/volunteer.
