Established in 1955, the Dr. O.R. Nevitt Memorial POOL served all of North Pacific County residents with a much needed facility for safe aquatic activities, including swimming lessons, swim team, water aerobics, and recreational swim. It was over 9 feet deep with a diving board enjoyed by all! It was owned and operated by the City of Raymond until budget restraints put a halt in operations in the early 1980’s. 

The POOL is a two story structure open to the weather with locker rooms below. It is open only through the summer season and offers employment to many local youth.  The pool sat empty for over two decades. After multiple local drownings in the 1990’s, a local non-profit group was formed, People Organized to Operate Leisure activities. As the only public swimming pool in Pacific County, a community surrounded by waterways, this group and many locals all agreed, having the pool open back up was a great need!  They had one goal in mind, get the pool up and running so all of North Pacific County had a safe place to learn and play. The nonprofit was successful in acquiring grants, along with donations and fundraisers, to raise over $750,000 to get the pool open again. It reopened to the public in 2002 and has successfully operated under the non-profit since, with zero drownings reported since it has been open.

This year, there is a transition happening on how it will be operated and maintained. Due to the aging and condition the pool has had in the last 20 years, and the high costs of repairs, the city will be taking back over the operations and maintenance of the facility. The P.O.O.L. Board will back the city with their fundraising efforts to cover any budget offsets to ensure the pool can remain open. The P.O.O.L. Board’s main goal is to ensure the people in the community continue to have a safe place to learn and play and they will act as a sound board for the city for operating ideas and suggestions.