YAKIMA, Wash. – The future of Lions Pool, a historic swimming venue in Yakima, is uncertain as budget cuts threaten its closure. The pool, which opened to the public in 1973, has been a significant part of the community and a home for local high school swim teams.
City budget cuts initially set the closure for December 2025. However, the city council managed to extend its operation until the end of February 2026. These efforts come amidst roughly six million dollars in budget reductions after voters failed to pass a property tax levy in November.
The looming closure is causing concern for high school swim teams that rely on Lions Pool for practice and meets.
“It’s the home pool for many of our high schools in the area for their high school swim teams, both boys and girls,” said Parks and Rec Director Ken Wilkinson. “It’s uncertain where these high school teams would be able to practice and host their swim meets.”
Despite the challenges, Wilkinson says the community is exploring ways to keep the pool open.
“Lions Pool, as well as our other pools, are very well loved by the community and people enjoy using them,” he said. “It’s just unfortunate that we’re dealing with such challenging times right now with budget and we’ll continue to look for ways to operate facilities to the best of our ability.”
Yakima’s aquatic landscape has seen changes, with the opening of a new aquatic center at Martin Luther King Park in June. Meanwhile, Franklin Pool was shut down indefinitely in August, further limiting swimming opportunities.
Community members can contribute to the Lions Pool by donating to offset maintenance costs.
“People can donate to help offset some of the maintenance costs here at Lions Pool,” Wilkinson said. “And people are able to go on the Yakima Valley Community Foundation’s website. We also have a community group that’s working towards finding alternate ways to help offset the costs of operating Lions Pool. So we’re open to all kinds of ideas and thoughts in order to continue to provide as much swimming as we can in the Valley.”
For those seeking swimming lessons, Wilkinson says they will be available at the aquatic center in Martin Luther King Park this summer.
