North Whidbey Pool, Park and Recreation District is still ironing out the details, but it plans to temporarily open the John Vanderzicht Memorial pool on Monday, Oct. 8.

The district and North Whidbey Community Pool and Recreation Foundation raised enough money to open the pool for limited hours.

However, if the district’s levy fails in November, the doors will shut once again.

“We could pull some resources together, but it’s on a shoestring,” Juli Brooks Leete, head of the foundation, said at Thursday’s district meeting.

“It will continue to be on a shoestring until the levy passes.”

From noon to 2 p.m., Monday, Oct. 8, there will be a two-hour lap swim and wellness swim.

Two lanes will be reserved for wellness, which will be self-guided water aerobics or other exercises until certified instructors are hired.

From 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., Oct. 8, there will be open swim and a “welcome back party” with a DJ and concessions.

Fees for the temporary opening are not decided yet. District commissioners made it clear Thursday that their hope is to not raise fees, but they want to wait until they know how much money from donations is available. A special meeting is set for 6 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 3 to decide on fees and discuss a preliminary budget for the coming year.

Commissioner Wendy Shingleton emphasized the need to “protect the taxpayers’ assets” in all their decisions, especially regarding the 2019 budget. She created a draft budget that assumes the passage of the levy.

Shingleton said if the district passes the levy, but isn’t careful with how the funds are used, “then we didn’t win anything.”

With how much support has been offered since the closure of the pool in November, Commissioner Shane Hoffmire said he is optimistic the levy will pass. The district is asking voters to pay 20 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value.

“If people are willing to write checks, they’re certainly willing to vote ‘yes,’” Hoffmire said.

In the meantime, partnerships with the school district, the mayor’s office, businesses, nonprofits and donations from individuals made the reopening possible.

Oak Harbor Public Schools offered its maintenance, custodial and grounds keeping staff to help keep the facility running. Signs were made in support of the pool by Humphrey Sign Company and Ashley Design.

The foundation’s accounting is handled for free by Pacific Grace Accounting. And Flyers Restaurant and Brewery did its Pilsner for the Pool fundraiser, in which a dollar for every pilsner sold went to the pool effort.

Brooks Leete said that support was just the beginning, and catalyzed the other donations and partnerships.

“It took a village,” she said.

If the levy passes, the Rotary Club of Oak Harbor pledged $25,000 to help keep the pool open until funds start coming in.

The first levy distribution would be April 2019, according to a district press release.

Brooks Leete said while she’s encouraged by the support the foundation and district have gotten, it isn’t sustainable.

“I can’t keep raising money,” she said. “The levy must pass.”