(WSB photos by Oliver Hamlin)

Hours after the aforementioned water-polo match, Colman Pool opened to the public for the first time this year. Noon today marked the start of this year’s first preseason weekend. Photojournalist Oliver Hamlin, who showed us a behind-the-scenes look at the outdoor saltwater pool’s final preparations, went back today. Above is Ed W., who’s been swimming at Colman Pool since he was 10, using the fastest lane today. Below, lifeguard Jude M. watches over the pool during this afternoon’s brief drizzle:

Jimmy, who was first to tip us when this year’s opening day was revealed, shared this observation: “Despite the chilly temperatures, there was a solid turnout — I counted around 32 lap swimmers in the water. No one was there for recreational swimming (understandably, given the cooler weather), but the lifeguards responded quickly to the lap lane demand and added a fifth lane, which was great to see.”

During the preseason, Colman Pool will be open to the public for four hour-and-a-half sessions between noon and 7 each Saturday and Sunday, until it starts 7-day-a-week operations in mid-June. If you’ve never been, it’s on the shore at Lincoln Park, and getting there requires walking, running, or rolling.

Photos by Oliver Hamlin for WSB

On Saturday, Colman Pool on the Lincoln Park shore officially opens for the year, and one last work party today got it ready. Photojournalist Oliver Hamlin was there for WSB. Above, lifeguards Rommel D (left) and Patrick K dismantle an old lane line before discarding it in a dumpster outside the pool. This year Colman Pool has new lane lines and reels thanks to a donation from the Greater Seattle Swimming Association. You can see them in the next photo, behind Aquatic Technical Supervisor Robert Danielson preparing the diving board:

Lifeguard Patrick K tested out the diving board after installation:

Another kind of board was also addressed today – the protective wooden boards were removed from the Plexiglas around the pool (we showed you a reader photo of the work in progress earlier).

Other work was done inside. Below, Aquatic Center Coordinator Wendy Van De Sompele points toward the filtration system in the Colman Pool pump room. The pump room contains a mix of newer and original pipes from the 1940s.

These are the wells that bring Puget Sound water into Colman Pool, visible during low tide today. The pool can only be filled during high tide, meaning sometimes work must get done in the middle of the night.

Colman Pool celebrated its milestone 75th anniversary nine years ago. This year, as we first reported last month, it’ll be open for “preseason weekends” through mid-June, then seven days a week (except for swim-meet closures June 26-28 and July 18-19) through September 1, and two “postseason weekends” after that. For those who have asked about the slide, it’s only open during private events; they’re keeping it out of service the rest of the time, Van De Sompele told us, because it gets in the way of lap swimming and creates staffing challenges, and the diving board is considered a more accessible feature to keep open.

See the pool schedule here; plus, you can get a sneak peek at the pool during Friday night’s West Seattle Water Polo matches starting at 6:20 pm.

Thanks to the three readers who sent photos and info about three Lincoln Park sightings, starting with tree trouble:

Huge fallen oak tree limb on the north stairs at Lincoln Park, the ones that were recently closed for the stair maintenance

From another reader, this sighting of what appears to be a poisonous weed:

Sharing a safety alert: there is a lot of poison hemlock growing in Lincoln Park between the south playfield and south restroom. The one by the restroom (NW corner) would be especially easy for a small child or a dog to snag a piece of and eat. The bigger patch (south of field, north of the concrete) is also very exposed. I’ve alerted Parks and King County noxious weeds department but unsure how quickly these will be addressed so thought you may want to post a warning.

Here’s a closer look at, and more information about, this plant.

Finally, from Dawn, who spotted this on the shore:

Panels coming down at Colman.

As we reported a month ago, Saturday is the first preseason-weekend day for the only city-owned outdoor salt-water swimming facility, Colman Pool, but you’ll see activity there tomorrow too (Friday, May 9, 6:20 pm) as the West Seattle Water Polo team hosts a home game!

Thanks to Stewart L. for the three photos of signs sighted at Don Armeni Boat Ramp shortly after its repaired floating docks reopened this week. The one above doesn’t seem to convey anything particularly new, but then there are these:

And these …

As for the docks, they’ve indeed fully reopened – we took these photos on Friday:

The floating docks were removed last November, pronounced unsafe because of damage just months after they had been installed in a years-in-the-works project

(Scouts and volunteers at Camp Long – photo by Erik Bell)

By Hayden Yu Andersen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Camp Long got TLC Sunday from more than 70 volunteers and Girl Scouts from 11 troops, pulling up invasive weeds, picking up trash, and helping spread fresh wood chips across a handful of campsites as part of a yearly Earth Day cleanup event.

“This year has been easier,” said Maya, one of the Scouts in attendance. Maya and fellow Girl
Scout Izzy attended the first cleanup last year, but this year they’re acting as youth leaders, helping younger Girl Scouts participate in the event.

Camp Long is traditionally the location of the local West Seattle Girl Scout Summer Day Camp. When deciding what they would do for Earth Day last year, event organizer Alexa Huggins said the park seemed like the perfect choice. Huggins is with Service Unit 550, which encompasses all Girl Scout troops in West Seattle and Vashon.

The help has an impact beyond just cleaning up the park. In November of last year, historic Camp Long Lodge was the target of an arson attack which caused an estimated $1.2 million in damages, and led to the loss of many historical documents. So this was heartening. “We really appreciate the love and support, especially right now,” said Camp Long supervisor Matt Kostle, who was there to help organize and assist volunteers on his day off.

(WSB photo by Hayden Andersen)

“(The Girl Scouts) get very excited, because they care about this camp. Especially after the fire, a lot of them want to know what they can do to help,” Huggins said.

(Scouts hold up their finds – WSB photo by Hayden Andersen)

The younger scouts were especially excited, seeking out the most interesting pieces of trash to show off. The highlight of the day by far was Troop 42886’s Eleanor and Dela, who managed to find an old bucket, broken baseball bat and a plastic easter egg which they theorized was “eaten by a squirrel”.

(Huggins speaking to scouts and volunteers – photo by Erik Bell)

Next year, Huggins said, they’ll have to set up a reward for the most interesting piece of garbage picked up by the scouts.

The tools for the event were supplied by Erik Bell of our area’s most prolific volunteer cleanup group, A Cleaner Alki. Bell says it’s a good experience for everyone to get involved in cleaning local parks, especially younger people. “It helps to get them out here, and show them that they can make a difference.”

If you’re interested in supporting cleanups like these, Bell says you can support A Cleaner Alki here. To get involved with Girl Scouts by volunteering or joining, find out more here.

Thanks to Stewart L. (above) and Bob Burns (below) for the photos and tips that the Don Armeni Boat Ramp floating-dock work appeared close to completion.

We obtained this update from Seattle Parks spokesperson Karen O’Connor: “The float fabricator is finishing up and should be completed with their work today. We have scheduled the substantial completion walk-thru for Tuesday. We anticipate both docks will be open on May 1.” That’s next Thursday; the floats were removed almost half a year ago, because of damage and deterioration, despite being relatively new. The same contractor that did the original work, Bellingham Marine, is re-doing it now.

(WSB photo)

After reader tips, we headed to Don Armeni Boat Ramp at noontime and found work crews finally doing major work on the float replacements. We checked with Seattle Parks, whose spokesperson Karen O’Connor confirmed to WSB, “Bellingham Marine has mobilized at the site and is beginning repairs to the float system. We anticipate the work to be completed by the first week in May. SPR requested the fabricator open one side first, so at least we can restore partial service in April.”

(Seattle Parks photo)

Don Armeni has been without extended dock floats for almost half a year, since the then-newly-installed floats had to be removed because of “abnormal wear.” Parks has since elaborated on the problem as “the hinges between the floats (were) failing and the concrete on the floats (was) spalling and cracking.”

By Hayden Yu Andersen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

This Thursday (April 10), the city’s advisory Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners is holding a public hearing and possible vote on park-hours changes for this summer. Some of the proposals concern West Seattle parks, as we first reported last month.

If you’d like to attend the hearing or provide comments on the proposed changes, you can show up in-person or on Zoom, as explained on the agenda document. The meeting is at Parks HQ at 100 Dexter Ave. N. downtown and begins at 6:30 pm Thursday.

Key points of the proposal: Permanent seasonal changes that will apply every summer going forward are proposed for several parks, including Alki Beach.

The proposal basically would have parks closing one hour earlier. Here’s the slide used during last month’s briefing, which shows the proposed hourly changes for Alki and other parks.

“Seasonal” means Memorial Day to Labor Day, in this context.

Another West Seattle waterfront park, Don Armeni Boat Ramp on Harbor Avenue, also has a seasonal hour change proposal from 24 hours to 4 am to 10:30 pm, which is in alignment with the proposed hour changes for Alki and others.

One more West Seattle note – Hamilton Viewpoint Park has a proposed permanent hourly change from 4 am to 11:30 pm to 6 am to 10 pm.

As explained on the agenda document, if you want to comment during the hearing, sign up via email before 5 pm Thursday. The final decision is up to SPR Superintendent AP Diaz to make next month.

(Colman Pool, photographed in 2017 by Long Bach Nguyen)

Thanks to Jimmy for the tip! Colman Pool – the heated outdoor salt-water pool at Lincoln Park – is opening sooner and closing later this year, with more pre-season and post-season weekends than last year. Here’s what’s on the pool’s website so far:

Preseason Weekends: May 10 – June 15, 2025

Colman Pool will operate Preseason Weekends from May 10 to June 15.
Saturdays, Sundays, and Memorial Day (May 26)
Each day will have 4 swims:

12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
1:45 pm – 3:15 pm
3:45 pm – 5:15 pm
5:30 pm – 7:00 pm

Each swim will have 4 lap lanes (50 meters) and 1/2 open pool for recreational use. The 1-meter diving board will be open.

The “main season” will be June 16 – Sept. 1, and the postseason weekends will be September 6-7 and 13-14; no scheduling specifics for those yet. If you’re interested in renting the pool for events/parties, those bookings open tomorrow (Tuesday, April 8) according to the website, and usually go fast.

(Hiawatha CC last week – photo sent by Al)

The newest projected reopening dates for long-closed Hiawatha Community Center and Play Area projects were just announced by District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka, both for next year. His announcement says Seattle Parks expects that work at the community center will be done in time for a reopening in January 2026, while the play area renovation will be complete in spring 2026. The delays for the community center are explained as a dramatic expansion in project scope:

What began as a stabilization project has evolved into a FULL-SCALE renewal after uncovering significant defects in the original structure – including its infamous heat trap due to poor insulation and outdated infrastructure. The comprehensive upgrades now include seismic retrofitting, modernized kitchens, improved restrooms, renewal of the HVAC utility to an electrified system, and revitalized child-care spaces. The extended timeline was to accommodate a full decarbonization that was made possible by funding that was prioritized by community members during the 2023 Seattle Park District Cycle 2 planning process.

The result will be a greatly enhanced public space, improving the functionality of the building, addressing long-term maintenance concerns, and enhancing the historic aspects of this building. The eventual reopening will mark a significant milestone for Seattle Parks as Hiawatha becomes the City’s first fully electric community center!

Work at the community center finally began a year ago, four years after it was closed; previous explanations for the delay had involved a half-million-dollar grant (about a sixth of the project’s budget).

Meantime, the play area work is expected to go out to bid late this summer, with construction expected to be complete in spring of next year. Councilmember Saka’s emailed announcement (read it in full here) explains, “This new play area had some delays due to changes in the City of Seattle’s stormwater code that required months of additional documentation,” as Parks explained back in January.

P.S. If you have questions about the Hiawatha projects, Parks’ project manager is scheduled to be at the next Admiral Neighborhood Association general gathering, 7 pm Tuesday, May 13, at Admiral Church.

Thanks to Troy for the tip. Seattle Parks has reopened a West Seattle trail:

(Seattle Parks photo)

Good news! Our Trails Crew has been hard at work restoring the Lincoln Park North Bluff Trail, including repairing the staircase and retaining wall. We’re thrilled to announce that the trail is now REOPENED!

Thank you to everyone for your patience and support while we got everything back in shape.