Willow Glen Resident

News

$250,000 spent on aquatics survey, but residents say, 'just fix the pool'

By Eli Segall

Another round of poolside chatter took place in Willow Glen, and the topic was all too familiar to Greater Gardner residents--the state of its closed public pool.

Willow Glen Middle and High School's Little Theatre was the site for a community forum on the city's faltering public pool system. Representatives from the San Jose Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services and the aquatics consulting firm Counsilman-Hunsaker, which was paid $250,000 by the city to determine residents' needs, spoke with community members about the city's new aquatics master plan.

The plan's first phase calls for Counsilman-Hunsaker to hold citywide telephone surveys, focus group interviews and community forums to learn what people want from public pools.

Consultant Scott Hunsaker gave an update on the group's findings, such as how different age groups would use a pool during the day and what kind of amenities neighborhoods want in their facilities.

The discussion, however, turned into a barrage of criticisms hurled at the consultants and the city.

The audience was made up of residents from Gardner and other neighborhoods in San Jose. One person who identified himself as a downtown resident drew applause from the crowd when he angrily interrupted Hunsaker, saying, "The message is clear. Keep the pool open."

When Hunsaker showed the group pictures of other municipal pool projects, one that could have doubled for Raging Waters, resident Michelle Brenot said, "I'm not looking for the Disneyland pool; I just want something that is local and inexpensive."

Harvey Darnell, chairman of the Greater Gardner Coalition, stood up and reiterated that all the community wants is to see the Gardner pool renovated and reopened.

Residents were also frustrated by the lack of notification about the Oct. 17 meeting.

Cynthia Bojorquez, deputy director of the parks department, told the crowd her department had indeed dropped the ball in promoting the sparsely attended forum, which only about 30 individuals attended.

"We messed up, and we're trying to fix it," she said.

Four of the six public pools in San Jose, including the one at the Gardner Community Center, were closed before the 2005 summer swim season. The closures were attributed to inadequate revenue streams, dilapidated conditions and various health and safety code violations.

The meeting at Willow Glen High was the second aquatics meeting in the neighborhood since the master plan was unveiled in August. The first was Sept. 18 at the Gardner Community Center.

The next planned community aquatics meeting is Nov. 13 at San Jose City Hall, 200 E. Santa Clara St., at a time that has not been announced. For information contact the city parks department, 408.535.3570.