About the New Facility
Working Together with the City of Anacortes
In 2019, Russ and Kim Jeter donated property on J Avenue to Fidalgo Pool & Fitness Center to provide more opportunities for the new facility to better serve Anacortes. The community was excited about the new land and the possibility to join forces with the City of Anacortes and their proposed community center.
In November 2019, Fidalgo Pool & Fitness Center met with the City of Anacortes about a potential partnership to form a new Fidalgo Aquatic & Community Center.
Pool Commissioners and the Capital Campaign Committee are excited about the potential partnership with the City of Anacortes. Although this changes the original project timeline, the potential outcome will far exceed our expectations. There are many benefits with a partnership. Not only will there be more amenities available to our community, but there are also significant cost savings.
Early 2020, Fidalgo Pool & Fitness Center and the City of Anacortes suspended joint meetings so they could each focus on serving the Anacortes community through all the challenges and changes that COVID brought.
Meetings have resumed and both parties are excited to finalize design elements and costs for a joint facility.
Design elements identified
In 2020, the pool and city identified all desired elements of the design for the new facility. Each element of design is now being discussed to make sure it is a benefit to the entire community.
Site design and cost analysis are next
Once the elements of design are confirmed, the next steps include working with ARC Architects for a site design and TRICO Companies for a cost analysis. Fidalgo Pool & Fitness Center has an established relationship with ARC Architects, which designed the plans for the new Fidalgo Aquatic & Fitness Center before working with the city.
Partnership decision
After the site design and cost analysis are completed, the next step is to confirm the facility’s programming and budget. Once programming and budgeting are finalized, the pool and city will then decide if moving into a partnership is best for both entities and the entire community.
If the final partnership is established as expected, the pool and city will introduce the plans and reinstate a capital campaign to raise more funds from individuals, businesses, and grants to lessen the cost to taxpayers when they are asked to approve a bond measure.