The Tukwila Pool has taken another step in its evolution with the approval Tuesday by Tukwila’s voters of a separately elected commission to oversee its operations.
The initial tally in Tuesday’s general election showed Proposition 1 passing with 65 percent of the vote. The vote count will continue, with results released weekdays at about 4:30 p.m., until the election is certified on Nov. 24.
The Tukwila Pool Metropolitan Park District’s Proposition 1 asked Tukwila’s voters to create a five-member Board of Commissioners to oversee the pool district, which until now has been done by the seven-member Tukwila City Council in an ex-officio capacity.
Besides creating the new board, voters also elected the first five commissioners, four of whom ran unopposed: Vanessa Zaputil, Ellen Gengler, Christine Neuffer and Jeri Frangello-Anderson. In the only contested race, David Puki was beating Michael Robert Neher with 67.73 percent of the vote.
The City of Tukwila had already transferred ownership of the pool to the park district.
Voters in 2011 approved the formation of a metropolitan park district to fund the pool and these capital improvements through a property tax levy of 15 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation or about $36 per year for the owner of a $240,000 home. The levy will keep the pool operating for the next 20 years.
Tukwila took over ownership of the pool in 2003 from King County after county officials decided to get out of the pool business. The pool opened in 1973 funded by the 1968 Forward Thrust bond issue to expand county parks and recreation.
