The park board has voted unanimously Thursday May 14th, to begin charging fees for all hours of swimming. See the whole story here. The board has lowered the fees to $1 for kids and $2 for adults from the proposed $2.50 for kids and $5 for adults. The fees are set to start when pools open, whether this summer or next. The quick decision by Spokane’s Park Board did not give the public a chance to comment on the new proposal. This is too bad considering many people in our community feel like free swimming for kids is a priority. Perhaps the 6 new pools would not have been built if the community knew that there would be charges to use them.
The new fees are less than originally proposed, but no free swimming time will be provided at all under the new proposal. VOICES hopes that scholarships or low-cost summer passes are provided for families who cannot afford even the reduced fees.
Read what Mayor Mary Verner has to say about the new fees here.
