 |
|
|
|
|
New pools are in the works at LG, Saratoga high schools
By Jason Baker
Saratoga High swimmers hope to be dipping their toes in a brand-new swimming pool sometime next year. And if a new proposal goes as planned, Los Gatos swimmers soon will have their very own new cement pond as well.
According to members of the Los Gatos Community Pool foundation, the current Los Gatos pools--one large and two small--were constructed in 1950 and need to be replaced. The foundation is working to raise funds for a new aquatic facility, at an estimated price of $1.58 million. About 80 percent of the funds are needed by February 2000, according to planners. Funds for the project were not included in the recent bond passed by the community.
Foundation members on Aug. 5 met with Los Gatos-Saratoga Department of Community Education and Recreation officials to present a development plan and request financial assistance in developing the pool. Cynthia Ranii, superintendent of the Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District and Recreation Department governing board member said officials agreed to review the proposal and might consider drafting a measure supporting the proposal. Ranii said the board might also consider drafting financial support for the project into the department's budget for the next fiscal year. The department's 1999 expenditure budget is $3.5 million plus $220,000 in capital projects.
The proposed new facility will feature an L-shaped pool with six lanes of long course (50 meters) and eight lanes of short course (25 yards). Additionally, the facility will have a diving area with two 1-meter and two 3-meter boards, two water polo courts, and increased depth for water polo, starting-block dives and faster swim times. Facility plans also call for a new filtration and chlorination system, a new deck area with spectator stands, zero-clearance gutters and a movable, submersible bulkhead that will allow for reconfiguration and maximum use of the pool.
Planners think the community would benefit from this new aquatic facility not only through swim meets and water polo tournaments for LGHS, but also through expanded Recreation Department swim programs facilitated by the expansion and redesign. Construction of the project is scheduled around new pool construction in Saratoga, which would guarantee pool availability for programs, planners said. Construction of the facility tentatively is scheduled for June 2000.
While Los Gatos planners are in the preliminary stages of pool planning and design, Saratoga High School officials are preparing for initial construction of the district's new aquatic facility.
An anonymous $200,000 donation from a local family earlier this year answered questions surrounding construction of a new aquatic center at Saratoga High. For almost two years, the school had been raising money to fund the new facility. As this year's annual appeals fundraising campaign wound down, organizers remained about $300,000 shy of the estimated construction cost of $1.1 million. The anonymous donation brought the school to within $100,000 of its goal.
The existing SHS pool was constructed more than 35 years ago. According to officials, the pool was too shallow for serious swimming and too small for competitive water polo. The new facility will be Olympic-sized (50 meters by 25 meters) and will be designed for competitive swimming, water polo and recreational use. Construction of the Saratoga pool should begin in about four weeks, officials said.
The high school district in June successfully passed Measure B, a $79 million bond initiative to modernize its campuses. Gilbane Building Company, recently hired by trustees to oversee project and construction management services of the multi-million-dollar renovations, also will handle construction of the pools. However, Measure B funds must be used for the construction and renovation of educational facilities, thus the need for outside funding for pool construction.
For more information on the Los Gatos Pool project, call 799-3168 or log onto www.lghs.net/thepool.
|
|
|
|
Saratoga, California Since 1955
