Statement on the Toppenish Pool
“Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic is deeply committed to all the communities we serve, and we hold a special connection to Toppenish, Washington; the community where we were founded,” stated Christy Trotter, CEO of Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic.
The Toppenish Pool is a cherished resource for the children and families living in and around Toppenish. It is a vital community asset that many individuals, families, and organizations care deeply about, as do we. However, it has also been a large and complex project with significant challenges.
Several critical issues needed to be addressed before the pool could be safely and legally reopened. For example, a water heater was damaged over the winter and had to be replaced to meet legal requirements for reopening. In a decision made at the end of June, our lease was not scheduled to begin until July 1 which was much later than we had hoped when first embarking on this project. This later repair timeline that included ordering, receiving, and installing key parts and safety mechanism would significantly delay opening leaving only a couple of weeks of potential pool operation this summer. Faced with this difficult timeline, we couldn’t balance the significant costs for rush orders with the limited access this season.
Despite these challenges, we want to emphasize our unwavering commitment to the Toppenish Pool. Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic has been actively fundraising and had already begun hiring and training lifeguards in anticipation of the season. We remain hopeful that, by working collaboratively with all involved parties, we can ensure a full season of summer activities for the 2026 pool season.
Trotter continues, “I would be remiss to not express our deep gratitude for the tireless efforts of the volunteers that make up The Friends of Toppenish Pool who have been our partners throughout this project.”