The Columbia Park swimming pool renovation project is expected to come in under budget, and be completed by May 1, 2024, according to a report delivered by city staff at Tuesday’s Turlock City Council meeting.
“This is so important for my kids, because there are not a lot of things to do on the west side of town,” said District 2 councilmember Rebecka Monez. “They need to have this available to them.”
The city council voted unanimously, 5-0, to approve three resolutions regarding the pool.
Two of the resolutions deal with the pre-fabricated buildings that will be put up on site: a concession stand, a seven-station restroom, a storage facility, and a pump/chemical housing. The other resolution involved a grant from TID for $197,264 that will go toward construction costs. The city was awarded the TID grant on June 2.
“We secured more than $6 million for this project from the outset,” said Monez. “We estimated high because I didn’t want our district getting shorted. When we started this, we knew inflation was a huge factor; there were a lot of factors that led us to make sure our estimates were extremely conservative.”
In addition to the nearly $200,000 from TID, $3 million for the project has come from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, while another $3.7 million comes from the city’s cannabis revenue.
Monez said she has seen online posts with incorrect information regarding the pool and how it will be funded. She stressed during the council meeting, and again in an separate interview with the Journal, that the project is likely to come in under budget.
“Keep in mind that this figure is just the funding for the project,” said Monez. “We think we can come in lower than that. And then it will be up to the council to decide what to do with the excess money.”
Part of Monez’s optimism stems from the price tag for the buildings.
“The bid for the three buildings (concession stand, restroom, storage unit) actually came in $300,000 under the engineer’s estimate,” said public works director Erik Schulze. “So, we feel like we’re getting a pretty decent deal on that.”
According to Schulze, bids for the project will be advertised on July 28 and the bidding process will be opened on Aug. 25. At the Sept. 26 council meeting, the winning bid will be awarded, and construction will begin in December, with an opening date of May 1, 2024.
“And there’s a buffer built into that timeline,” added Schulze.
This summer, the city will run its aquatics program at the high school facilities, as it typically does, as they have a facility-use agreement in place with Turlock Unified School District.
A special bus line also will be available for swimmers this summer going from Columbia Park to the Pitman High School pool.
