Once the last stroke has been swum Saturday, the Britton Middle
School pools will be closed and work will begin shortly after to
fill them in, though not completely demolish them.
Once the last stroke has been swum Saturday, the Britton Middle School pools will be closed and work will begin shortly after to fill them in, though not completely demolish them.
School Board trustees voted Nov. 3 to approve a bid for $46,725 from William Bloomquist, Inc. for the removal and disposal of the ceramic tiles from the lap and wading pools, filling both pools with soil from the Sobrato High site and installing a concrete cap over the pools. The concrete pool deck will not be eliminated, except at the pool edges.
Trustee Mike Hickey, who owns a construction company, questioned the decision to fill the pool, rather than demolish it.
Al Solis, director of modernization and construction for the district, said this is what the district can afford.
“This is the most economical way to de-commission the pool,” he said.
Solis explained that he had received an informal bid of approximately $100,000 to completely demolish the pool, and he estimated that to also dismantle the drainage and other systems could additionally be “possibly over $100,000.”
Trustee Shelle Thomas asked where the money is coming from, and Solis replied, “That’s a very good question. I wish I knew.”
Superintendent Carolyn McKennan said in response that the money to de-commission the pool had been included in the budget.
Solis told trustees that the former pool area, once the work is completed, will not be usable for anything except parking and storage. Thomas asked if the district would have to spend more money later to reopen the pool.
“This is the safest and cheapest way to do what we need to do now,” Solis said. “I think we had a quote of approximately $150,000 to remodel (return the pools to an efficient and usable condition) … With the contours and the concrete decking, the area doesn’t lend itself to other uses. It will be just an empty space for now, but it is not going to require maintenance.”
The district has had to reduce its maintenance staff and hours due to budget reductions the past two years. The bid by William Bloomquist, Inc., was the lowest of three bids: El Camino Paving bid $47,985 and Duran & Venables bid $72,273.
The work is scheduled to be completed by Dec. 15. The district originally intended, due to budget cuts, to close the pool before the start of school in August, but the Morgan Hill Swim Club petitioned the board to keep the pool open until Nov. 15 so swimmer could complete their swim season. The board agreed to do so during its Aug. 11 meeting, if the club paid $1,000 per week for maintenance.
The cost of short-term pool repairs were estimated at $9,110. Long-term repairs would cost $469,000, trustees were told.
The request came in a letter from John Rick, representing the swim club, the Makos. Rick pointed out that, though the Live Oak pool is closed at least until 7:30 p.m. on school nights to community swim groups during the high school water polo season, the club’s need for a pool continues. He also mentioned that the Britton water polo team would have no place to practice either if the Britton pool closed in June. He referred to the fall season as “key training season.”
The aging pool has come to the attention of the county health department, which in May submitted a lengthy list of problems and required repairs to the pool’s infrastructure, plus safety issues.
According to the staff report, the inspector said “he is concerned with the pool in its present condition and the pool need to be remodeled or replaced as soon as possible.”
