Turlock City Council delays decision on public pool. What’s holding it up?
The Turlock City Council on Tuesday postponed deciding the fate of Columbia Park, declining to pick from the three options of fixing the pool, removing it or rebuilding and updating it.
After asking for more funding information, officials unanimously voted to revisit the issue during the next regular meeting on Feb. 9.
The Parks, Arts and Recreation Commission recommended the council choose to update Columbia Park’s pool and splash pad, which would cost an estimated $6.3 million. The option drew the most votes overall in community surveys, with about 250 of 810 respondents picking it. But District 2 residents who filled out the survey and live closest to the pool most often voted to fix the pool at an estimated $1.8 million.
Columbia Park is the only public pool in west Turlock and has been closed since the end of summer 2019. The 64-year-old pool has 18 issues violating safety codes, the Aquatic Design Group company reported in a $40,000 assessment, and cannot reopen without repairs. The pool will remain closed this summer, city staff said in October, because any construction will not be completed in time.
Both city staff and Parks Commissioner Allison Jeffrey asked the council to make a decision Tuesday, explaining they can better vet funding possibilities after the council picks from the three options.
“As a commission and as staff, if we don’t have further direction we can’t get a real quote, either,” Jeffrey said. “What you’re looking at is an estimate based off the size of the pool, size of the park, and the basic things that we would want, but really you’re guessing until you get an actual plan.”
Funding possibilities for Columbia Park construction include Measure A revenue, bonds and tax measures, said Allison Van Guilder, director of Parks, Recreation and Public Facilities.
City staff previously talked with consultants about applying for park grants from the state, but Van Guilder said consultants determined Columbia Park may not qualify. Park facilities open for fewer than seven days a week are ineligible for Proposition 68 funding, Van Guilder said, and renovations are less likely to get grant funding if they do not add new amenities. Though the splash pad was open daily in the summer, the pool was closed on Fridays during its last season.
City Council Member Rebecka Monez, who represents District 2 and made the motion to delay making a decision, said she is aware of a March deadline to apply for the state grant. Monez added she understands District 2 wants the pool fixed, not rebuilt and updated.
“I am not going to drop the ball on this,” Monez said during the meeting. “I understand it’s our neighborhood pool. We don’t consider it a community pool.”
The pool rebuilding option includes proposals to add off-street parking stalls and equipment and locker rooms in addition to bringing facilities into compliance with safety codes. The option to remove the pool, which received the fewest votes in community surveys, involves replacing it with a larger spray park at an estimated $2.5 million.
Further discussion about Columbia Park will take place during the next council meeting at 6 p.m. on Feb. 9. Public comments can be given over teleconference.
This story was originally published January 27, 2021 at 1:00 PM.
