Friends of the Williams Aquatic Center

Friends of the Williams Aquatic Center was created to work alongside the City of Williams, Arizona. Our mission is to support the efforts of the City to keep this asset a community amenity that is open, solvent, and environment sensitive. Our goal is to provide a place to help residents of all ages and skill levels to workout, relax, and have a safe place to play.

Friends of the Williams Aquatic Center was formed after a group of citizens realized the City was seriously considering draining the pool in response to severe drought and a financial downturn. We incorporated in order to continue that support. We've raised money for all sorts of things, such as pool toys, a vacuum cleaner for the pool,passes for disadvantaged children, printing of schedules, and advertising. The City has been operating the pool ever since on a very short summer schedule, which we have been advocating to extend.

People really benefit in so many ways from different water activities, from learning to be at ease in water, to playing, to water aerobics to ease the joints, to exercise.Those benefits are needed year-round, but the costs of running the pool are large. Extending the pool season a few months would help enormously. Our main limiting factor in extending the pool season, besides having lifeguards who go back to school, is the HVAC system which no longer exists. Williams has a mountain climate, so opening the bay doors for ventilation only works for about three months of the year. We've been raising money to help install a new HVAC system which of course, is quite expensive but would help control the air quality and temperature.

For fifteen years, the mission of the Friends of the Williams Aquatic Center has been to support the City in keeping the pool open and functional. We intend to continue supporting this mission, now and in the future.  We will gratefully accept any donations, so we can continue to assist with funding for various things such as swimming lessons, free safety courses, and free swims.

To learn more about the history and achievements of Friends of the Williams Aquatic Center, keep scrolling down for the full story.

HISTORY OF THE FRIENDS OF THE WILLIAMS AQUATIC CENTER

In October of 1999, the Williams City Manager signed a Grant Participation Agreement with Arizona State Parks Board to accept a grant that would enable the city to replace their existing but aging outdoor pool with a new aquatic center costing just over $1 million dollars. Half the cost was paid by grant money, the other half paid by City dollars and community donations.

The pool opened in May of 2001. The first 9 years were quite successful. Swimming and other aquatics activities were accessible year-round. The pool was opened around 6am for early lap swimmers and closed around 8pm for swimmers to access after a long day at work. There were community swim parties for family celebrations at Halloween, Christmas and New Years Eve.

Then came the 2008 recession and a terrible water shortage from a severe drought. Times were difficult and the City Council started a discussion to drain the pool. Many residents in Williams formed a group called "Save the Pool". This group strongly advocated against draining the pool. They also stressed the benefits that a pool brings to a small town and strongly encouraged the City Council to open the pool in the summer of 2010.

The City Council agreed to open the aquatic center for the three summer months if the residents could raise $70,000. It is unknown if the Save the Pool Committee succeeded, or how they raised the money, but the aquatic center opened for 6 weeks that year. The aquatic center has remained open for 5 days a week, for 14 weeks each summer since 2011.

In 2011, the Save the Pool Committee applied for non-profit status. "Friends of the Williams Aquatic Center" (FWAC) became the name for this new non-profit organization. FWAC raised money through sponsoring an annual golf tournament. The money raised was spent on advertising, for purchasing pool equipment, to assist the pool staff on program offerings, and to occasionally fund the purchase of maintenance items. The pandemic came along and everything ground to a stop for two years.

This year the City has shown renewed interest in restoring the HVAC system. As we have done in the past, FWAC is actively searching for non-matching grants and donations to help the city pay for infrastructure items, as well as funding swim lessons and aerobics.

The Friends of the Williams Aquatic Center would like to thank all our dedicated sponsors and donors for past donations. If you are a current donor or a potential new donor, we hope you will consider donating to our organization through AZGives.

Testimonials

The Friends of the Williams Aquatic Center would like to thank all of our dedicated sponsors and donors...