White Salmon Valley Pool Metropolitan Park District Awarded Youth Athletic Facility RCO Grant

The White Salmon Valley Pool Metropolitan Park District has been awarded a Youth Athletic Facilities (YAF) grant from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO), following the agency’s official funding approval on June 24, 2025. The grant was included in the state’s recently enacted budget.

The RCO’s grant process is comprehensive and selective, intended to fund projects with lasting community benefit. The District’s application ranked 7th out of 44 submissions and was awarded $1,500,000. This funding will directly support the development of youth athletic facilities in the region. Combined with a previous RCO COAF grant awarded in fall 2024, which totaled $932,838, the District has now secured $2,432,838 in grant funding for this initiative.

The inclusion of the YAF grant in the final state budget was supported by Senator Paul Harris, Representative Kevin Waters, and Representative David Stuebe, whose involvement helped elevate the project during budget deliberations.

Support from the White Salmon Valley Pool Metropolitan Park District’s volunteer Board of Commissioners and the broader community was also instrumental. Their continued work on planning, outreach, and grant preparation helped demonstrate the importance of the project to the region.

“These grants represent a meaningful step forward in our ongoing effort to improve recreational infrastructure for the region,” said Steve Harris, President of the White Salmon Valley Pool Metropolitan Park District. “We appreciate the contributions of our state legislators, the volunteer board, our grant writer, our lobbyist, and the many community members who supported the project.”

The grant funding will help the District advance its plans to replace the aging community pool and expand access to safe, modern, and inclusive recreational spaces for residents of all ages.

For more information, please contact:
hello@whitesalmonvalleypool.org --