The Wagner Memorial Pool in Twisp will stay open one week later than originally scheduled. The pool closes on Saturday, Aug. 24.
Budget pressures led town officials to plan to close the pool in mid-August both last year and this year. In 2018, a donor working with Friends of the Pool had offered to keep the pool open until Labor Day weekend, but heavy smoke from wildfires forced the pool to close on Aug. 18.
The pool has placed an increasing burden on the town Public Works Department’s staff in recent years. A contractor repaired chronic leaks in the pool in 2016, but the fix proved ineffective. Cracks reemerged in the pool’s surface in 2018 and were even worse this spring.
Public Works staff spent two weeks before opening day this year sealing cracks. Despite offseason problems, the pool functioned well this summer, Public Works Director Andrew Denham said.
Denham and his crew hope to prevent or at least reduce the damage to the pool this offseason by inspecting the pool in the fall and spot-repairing any cracks they find before winter sets in. The goal is to reduce the amount of water that gets behind the pool’s surface and freezes, Denham said.
“We’re going to try something different, so the bulk of repairs doesn’t come next spring, when all the crews are out taking care of parks and potholes,” Denham said.
Swimmers looking to take a dip at the end of August or in September have several options, including Patterson Lake, Pearrygin Lake and Blackpine Lake. The Methow River and its tributaries are flowing at levels well below normal for this time of year, but people can also access the swimming holes at Carlton and Gold Creek.
