Thumbs up to the city of Covington for its efforts to keep the city-owned swimming pool from becoming a quagmire.

The city inherited the Covington Aquatic Center when King County went through a fire sale of sorts a few years ago. The county, in a cost-cutting move, transferred ownership and responsibility for several of its recreation facilities, including pools, to cities. Covington agreed to take on the pool that, ironically, isn’t even inside city limits – though that may change soon under a proposal for the city to annex the land occupied by the pool.

The county didn’t dump the aquatic center at the city’s doorstep and walk away. Funding from the county, along with state money, has been applied toward repairs and maintenance of the facility since it came under the city’s control. In the past two years, that work has either upgraded the pool or kept it from slipping into serious disrepair and making it an albatross, rather than a community asset. There is more to be done, including replacing an inefficient ventilation and air conditioning system that makes the pool an uncomfortable sweat box. In the end, the aquatic center should be the quality recreational outlet that the public deserves.

Editor Pat Jenkins