The new Aquatic Center at Martin Luther King Jr. Park opened to the public on June 19th following a ribbon-cutting ceremony. It is located at the corner of S. 8th St and E. Race St.
The aquatic center offers several water features for all ages. Details about the City of Yakima’s aquatics programs and facilities are available on pages 4 and 5 of the Summer 2025 Program Guide.
A grassroots, community-wide outreach resulted in over $3 million in contributions from local individuals, organizations and businesses. These ranged from $500,000 donated by OIC of Washington and $225,000 by the Yakima Valley Community Foundation, to $800 in change collected by local children.
The City and Yakima County each committed $3 million to the aquatic center. The Washington State Legislature contributed more than $2 million.
A pool at MLK, Jr. Park (which was called Washington Park at the time) was closed in 2006 due to it having reached the end of its life span. The year before that, the City closed Miller Pool in Northeast Yakima and Eisenhower Pool on the west side of the city for the same reason.
