 |
|
|
|
|
Fremont pool almost ready for use by high school
Teams have slight majority share of 50-meter swimming area
By Jana Seshadri
"Gorgeous," "great," "exciting" and "cool" were just some of the words heard around Fremont Union High School last week. The school community, after several months of anticipation and excitement, has finally seen water in the big, gaping hole. Their brand-new, heated, 50-meter swimming pool is almost ready to splash into.
"I think it's exciting," said April Scott, principal of the high school.
Scott said the pool was plastered on March 9 and filled with water the next day. But it will be another two to three weeks before students can use the pool, Scott said. Health and safety issues need to be taken care of first.
"There will be a testing period, when the chemicals in the water--like chlorine--are tested," Scott said.
The pool house for the students is being renovated, expanding the changing rooms and showers. A separate community pool house is currently under construction for the public. The pool is set to open to the public sometime in June.
"It's gorgeous, even though the water doesn't look too inviting right now because it is too cold," said Gabrielle Horwege, an assistant in the principal's office.
Students were grouped around the pool fence, pointing to the clear, sparkling water and talking excitedly.
"I think it's cool," said Jesse Enriquez, a sophomore at the school.
Sophomore Sheela Rahman said she is happy about the pool, but happier about the end of almost a year of construction noise.
Holly Lofgren, chair of Friends of the Fremont Pool, said she and Pete Tuana, former principal of Fremont High jointly envisioned the idea of a community pool in Sunnyvale. The high school wrote a proposal to the city in June 1999. Lofgren's fundraising efforts for the pool resulted in the collection of more than $800,000 so far, and she says the effort will continue.
The money raised by FFP will be used for operating the pool, said Bill Savidge, director of facilities and modernization for Fremont Union High School District. The overall cost of the pool was about $3.2 million, Savidge said, which includes the pool, deck, lights, equipment, boiler systems and the community poolroom.
According to Savidge, the money was culled from three different sources--the passage of Measure H in 1998 for the modernization and renovation of schools, a $350,000 state grant that Sunnyvale received for Joint Use Projects and funds out of the Capital Projects budget that the city has allocated for the pool.
"We are going to share the construction costs with the city of Sunnyvale," Savidge said. "Our share will be 51 percent to the city's share of 49 percent."
The breakdown, which is slightly in favor of the school, is because the pool is on "our site--our land," he said.
Pool use will be split 50-50 between the school and the city, said Gene Longinetti, director of business and property services for FUHSD. There is no controversy about the school's use of the pool; the students and teachers of the high school will be allowed use of the pool during their designated time.
The city, however, is still working on their fee and user structure. At the joint session involving the Sunnyvale City Council, the Department of Parks and Recreation and the Parks and Recreation Commission last month, Sunnyvale Mayor Fred Fowler directed staff to consider a "broad" program and a balanced approach for the pool usage. The council directed staff to design a structure that would include adult and Master swimmers, community recreational swimmers, and programs for youth from grades K through 12, which would include swim teams and swim lessons. A market-based fee structure for pool use is under consideration by the city.
The pool time for the school will be need-based and flexible, Longinetti said.
"We have a season-by-season matrix," he said.
The school students will get to use the pool whenever there is a need--such as a major event or when they have to practice for water polo matches, he said. But that doesn't mean the city will not get use of the pool during those times.
"We have lanes and water time designated to the city," Longinetti said.
"I'm really proud of the high school district," Lofgren said, adding that the school community has come through with their commitment and responsibility, she said.
If members of the community want to make a contribution toward the pool fund and see their name engraved at the pool site at the same time, there is a way, Lofgren said. The community walkway to the pool will be laid with bricks, which are for sale. One can buy a 4-inch-by-8-inch brick for $500 or a 8-foot-by-8-foot brick for $1,000 and have it engraved with a maximum of 20 characters--three lines for the small brick and six lines for the larger one. The deadline to buy bricks is March 31.
Interested community members can email the Friends of the Fremont Pool at FremontPool@aol.com or call the hotline at 408.245.2875.
|
|
|
|
Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
