Harger: Show up to the Raymond public pool and other community treasures before they’re gone

For about four years, when I was a kid in the early 1980s, my family lived on a farm in rural Pacific County.

We had horses. We had cows. We had chickens. And I even had a pony named Candy. When we needed groceries or feed, we’d head into Raymond, the big city for us back then.

And Raymond had something special — a public pool.

Except it didn’t last. In 1982, budget cuts shut it down. For years, it sat empty.

But two decades later, neighbors across Pacific County came together. There were a couple of drownings, and people realized kids needed a safe place for swim lessons.

They raised more than $750,000 to bring that pool back. Three-quarters of a million dollars. That’s not easy money in a tiny, rural county. But people dug deep, because they knew what it meant for kids, for families, and for the whole community.

That’s why the Facebook post from Raymond pool management last month got my attention.

“Not a single rec swimmer has come in today,” it said. “This is a stark reminder that our valued pool could one day no longer be.”

Gang, this is what we mean when we say “use it or lose it.” People worked too hard to build this. And here’s where this isn’t just about Raymond anymore.

Think about your own town. The ballfields. The senior centers. The trails and parks. The community theaters. The little museums. Every one of them exists because people before you, sometimes generations before you, decided it was worth the effort. They organized, they fundraised, they volunteered, and they made it happen.

These are the fruits of not only our labor, but theirs. And the best way to honor that work is to actually use these places. Enjoy them. Show them a little love.

Because when we stop showing up, that’s when they go away. And once they’re gone, they almost never come back.

The forecast for Saturday in Raymond is partly sunny and 71 degrees. For the coast, that’s practically tropical. So maybe this is the weekend to pack a towel, grab the kids, and head to the pool.

Because in the end, it’s not about swimming. It’s about showing up for the places that make our towns feel like home. And if we do that, those places will still be there for the next generation, just like they were there for us.

Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here. 

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