An indoor pool for Pendleton would be costly

PENDLETON – The Pendleton City Council engaged in a discussion this week regarding what it would take to build an indoor pool. Parks and Recreation Director Liam Hughes said it would be an expensive proposition.

Hughes said the Pendleton Aquatic Center ends up in the red every year to the tune of about $250,000. At the least, an enclosed pool would double that loss.

“There’s no way it would be less than $250,000 to run an indoor pool,” he said. “That’s not the cost of building a pool. That’s just operations.”

Hughes said that in some cities, the pools are owned by the school districts. There have also been instances of a aquatic district being established to include residents who live outside the city but close by.

Swimming is a winter sport for the Oregon School Activities Association. Pendleton swim team members used to practice and host meets at the indoor pool at Blue Mountain Community College. It fell into disrepair and was eventually condemned. The college did not have the funding to rebuild it.

After that, swimmers would practice at the Roundup Athletic Club, owned by St. Anthony Hospital. That pool has since closed as well. Now swim team members travel to the indoor pool in Boardman, which is a round trip of more than 90 miles, to practice.

The discussion at the council meeting was inspired by a young girl asking for an indoor pool at an earlier meeting. No action was taken and the talk will probably continue.

Meanwhile, the Hermiston Parks and Recreation Department has construction of an indoor pool at the top of the Parks, Recreation, and Open Spaces (PROS) capital improvement plan. It calls for the creation of a $35 million indoor aquatic health and wellness center on 3.5 acres.

File photo of the Pendleton City Council

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Elkhorn Media Group