City to get pool back for a buck

SNOHOMISH — Talk about regifting.

The Snohomish School District, which bought Hal Moe Memorial Pool from the city for $1 in 1989, is expected to sell it back for the same price.

Both the school board and Snohomish City Council are poised to vote on measures this week to allow the property transfer.

No decision has been made about the future of the 1.1-acre property, city administrator Larry Bauman said. The land at 405 Third Street is near the Averill Youth Complex.

Zoning in the area limits how the land can be used to roughly a dozen possibilities, including temporary open air markets with vendor carts or stands, city offices, parks and recreation uses, museums and a community center.

Hal Moe pool was closed in 2007 because of extensive safety and structural problems with the building.

School district voters in 2008 approved a $261 million school construction bond package that included money for a new community pool.

The Snohomish Aquatics Center is expected to open in January of 2014, district spokeswoman Kristin Foley said.

The school board last week declared the Hal Moe pool property as surplus. It doesn’t have the money set aside to demolish the building.

Under the proposed agreement, the city would pick up the demolition cost, which could include all or part of the building.

Once the deal goes through, city staff will identify potential uses for the property for the city council to consider. Bauman expects initial discussion to begin by early 2014.

Hal Moe pool initially was an outdoor community pool that was built with public donations and given to the city to operate.

Later, the city turned it over to the school district, which had a larger tax base to cover costs. Voters agreed to build a cover for the pool,

Hal Moe was a teacher and coach who became Snohomish School District superintendent. The World War II veteran died in 1968. The pool was named in his memory a few years later.

Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446; stevick@heraldnet.com.