On February 28, 2024, at 7 pm, the Snoqualmie Community Center/YMCA gymnasium will host a Town Hall meeting. This event is for everyone interested in the plans to make the Snoqualmie Community Center bigger and add a place for swimming and water activities. According to the City of Snoqualmie, the project aims to provide more space for our community’s kids, teenagers, adults, and older people.
At the meeting, people from the City of Snoqualmie, Absher Construction, and ALSC Architects will discuss their plans with the Community Center, show the latest design ideas, and answer any questions.
Attendees will also get the chance to learn about the different programs offered at the center, how they support the Snoqualmie Valley community when it’s open for anyone to drop by and understand the various ways people can use the center daily or monthly.
This project to make the Community Center bigger is part of the city’s Capital Improvement Plan, with $15 million set aside for it in the city’s budget for 2023-24. The City of Snoqualmie owns the center, and the YMCA of Greater Seattle runs it for the city.
The center was built in 2011 with money from the company that planned the Snoqualmie Ridge community, a tax on selling property, and grants. The money to keep the center running comes from the fees people pay to use it, not public taxes. The center is open to everyone and will stay that way after it gets bigger.
The city says the center is too small for the population that lives here now, which is 30% more than when it opened. The Valley only has one small aquatics space to meet the swimming and water safety education demands, with only one publicly-owned pool to serve the local area.
The city and YMCA say this agreement ensures everyone can use the center. This includes free time for teenagers to come by, day passes, monthly memberships, and scholarships for people who need financial help.
For more details on the expansion of the Community Center, you can visit the city’s website.
Comments
Please report on all of the reasons not to do this expansion too, and the petition to scrap this and reengage in a joint project with NB and the school district.