Saratoga News

Principal hopes rendering of pool will spur donations

City budget cuts delayed plans

By John Pancharian

It's been a long haul, but plans for a new pool at Saratoga High School are still afloat.

"I'm hopeful that we can do this in the next year or so," said SHS Principal Kevin Skelly, the primary champion of the aquatics project. The school has raised $400,000 of the $900,000 required to begin construction of a new Olympic-sized pool and has contacted a local architectural firm about preparing a rendering of the pool. Skelly said he is hopeful that having a concrete picture of the proposed improvements will act as a catalyst for the pool project.

The project did receive one windfall: a $100,000 donation from the SHS Athletic Booster Club. But for the most part, it has been slow going. Most funds have thus far come piecemeal from parents and private individuals.

Delays in the project started at the April 7, 1997, Parks and Recreation Commission meeting. Skelly had hoped to receive $700,000 from the commission, then repay the money by waiving fees the city pays to the school for use of SHS facilities for community events. Skelly had also hoped to repay the commission by sponsoring summer community swims. The money was to have come from a $2 million Saratoga parks development fund. However, acting on perceived community priorities, the commissioners gave a low priority to the SHS pool.

The Parks and Recreation Commission, however, has had troubles of its own. The defeat of the utility tax in November 1996 left the department understaffed and thus unable to quickly implement projects that did receive high priority. Unsure of the total cost those unfinished projects might accrue, the commissioners have been reluctant to reconsider funding the SHS pool, even though the school is prepared to move forward.

Skelly indicated the delays have been frustrating, but he did not blame Parks and Recreation.

"My sense is that there's also frustration on their part," he said.

In the meantime, SHS athletes and other students get by with the old facilities. The small lap pool and "dive tank" are currently shared by the boys' varsity and junior varsity swim teams, the girls' varsity and junior varsity, the SCUBA club, the girls' and boys' water polo teams and physical education classes. In addition to forcing early-morning and evening practices, the current pool is also a danger to competition swimmers.

The minimum recommended depth for a racing pool is 4.5 feet, thus allowing swimmers to safely jump from the starting blocks. The current pool is only 3.5 feet deep. It is also too shallow to allow for water polo practices, forcing the polo teams to practice in the undersized dive tank.

"A school with the kind of students we have should have facilities worthy of the kids," Skelly said.

He added that upon completing the pool, his next project will be a theater.

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