“Do you believe in Miracles? Yes!”
Al Michaels, Sportscaster
1980 Winter Olympics – US vs. Russia Hockey game
“Do you believe in miracles? Yes!” is famously associated with Al Michaels, a sportscaster, who uttered it on the broadcast of the 1980 Winter Olympics “Miracle on Ice” hockey game between the US and Soviet Union. I was fortunate to watch the event as a kid. I know that this quote associated with our new aquatic center at MLK Jr. Park is an exaggeration, but as we are on the verge of opening this new amazing facility, it does feel like a miracle.
It has been a year of construction at the Yakima Parks & Recreation Division. We have worked with Chervenell Construction and NAC Architecture to construct an amazing aquatic center at MLK Jr. Park. I continue to be amazed that we have been able to build this new facility using donation and grants. Special thanks to our local Legislators in Olympia for the securing over $2 million dollars for the aquatic center. Senator Curtis King led the efforts in Olympia and worked hard with his legislative colleagues to get the funds here. Also, our County Commissioners contributed $3 Million for the aquatic center and the City has added another $3 million of funds. Another amazing part of this story is the donations from our community. With the leadership of Addy Logsdon and the hard work of small committee comprised of Mayor Particia Byers, Council Member Danny Herrera, past County Commission Ron Anderson and community members Ester Huey, Dori Peralta Baker, Sonya Lott, Rosie Lee and others, over $3 million was also raised for the aquatic center. Our local business, families, individuals and kids donated the money. Another special thanks to Sharon Miracle, Heidi Heidi Pelletier and Lisa Fresco at the Yakima Valley Community Foundation for assisting us with the fund-raising effort. I am so fortunate to have such amazing people surrounding me as a part of this project. Each person and organization did their part to make the dream a reality. We have a Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony planned in June. We will have a number of speakers representing the various organizations and government agencies that were critical to our success. After the ceremony the aquatic center will be open to the public for the summer season.
A special thanks to Forbes Mercy for his donation of $50,000 that will sponsor and fund our Summer Day Camp program at Miller Park. He gave the money at the end of 2024 and it was a great Christmas gift to the community. Once again, we will host the Summer Day Camp program for 8 weeks in the summer, Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. The program will have 50 kids from grades K through 5th. Kim Lopez, Recreation Program Supervisor, and her team do a great job of creating a great summer experience for the kids.
I hope everyone will get a chance to visit our new Aquatic Center at MLK Jr. Park this summer. It is truly a testament to what this community can accomplish. Thanks to everyone that made this “miracle” happen.
Ken Wilkinson
Yakima Parks & Recreation Manager