The Swimmer’s Dream Raffle for the 2016 USA Olympic Swim Trials was drawn yesterday…stay tuned, we will be announcing the winner soon!
Instructor And Patient Undergoing Water Therapy
Good things are happening behind the FLIP sign on Center Road. Momentum is building rapidly. The goal of the Friends of Lopez Island Pool is to be swimming in the summer of 2018 in an outdoor facility with the expectation that the natatorium would be completed in a second phase soon after.
The board and building committee now have a scaled-down plan and new affordable estimate for the pool bathhouse with locker rooms and reception area, along with the mechanical equipment housing and two Myrtha brand pools. FLIP has never wavered from our belief that this entire community would best be served by two pools. The largest is a four-lane, 25-yard pool for fitness, sport and recreational swimming. The smaller is an amply sized super-warmed pool for learn-to-swim and water therapy, with easy access and a soft-surfaced bottom.
Together these pools will serve parents of young children, children and youth of all abilities, elders and those convalescing from injury or hospitalization, adult recreation, after-school sports, EMT water rescue training needs and just about everything else that needs to happen in water. Warm, clean, calm water.
We have the land and now a high capacity well. Currently FLIP is in the process of completing San Juan County predevelopment requirements, which include storm water management, site drainage, septic planning, power to the site and access road enhancement. Thanks to the warm and generous response of island donors to the recent GiveBIG fundraiser, we expect to start working on the site this summer.
Most importantly, we will soon be inviting you to come together in small groups so that we can hear your questions, show you the plans and get your feedback. The board is beginning to schedule these salons, the first one being May 23. We want to hear from you. Send a message on our web page.
We are grateful for a matching grant pledge of half a million dollars to get us started for the capital campaign, which will kick off this summer on July 4th. Much more information coming soon.
A BIG thank you for your support from the FLIP Board!
Modified from the article published by Islands Weekly May 16, 2016