Last week, the Carpinteria City Council met with the city’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services Director Jeanette Gant and consultant firm Counsilman-Hunsaker to kickstart the movement of catching the pool back up to speed.
After an on-site assessment by Counsilman-Hunsaker back in April, it was determined that overall the core structure of the pool is sound but — as expected after 35 years of operation, staff said — there are numerous deficiencies and updates to address including: deteriorating mechanical components; aging equipment; ADA non-compliance in the bathhouse; and significant repair needs for the pool deck and cantilevered gutter.
The repair project is estimated to cost $969,383 — far out of the city’s fiscal means at this time, staff said.
“It is quite an expensive project so we are going to need a variety of funding sources, and a lot of them,” Gant told the council.
Both the council and staff agreed that community funding and grants will be vital in allowing the city to pursue the project.
Councilmember Wade Nomura reminded the council and staff that while the project may present an overwhelming cost, the community was able to rally funding along with government help to initially build the pool, which was a nearly $1 million project back in the day.
He also pointed out that many of the city’s beloved recreation facilities — like the playground and skatepark — were built off of community support.
“If there’s an interest out there, which I am sure there is, we just have to bring the awareness to the public on what we have to do to bring it back up to standards,” Nomura said.
The next step is to develop a detailed work package with all project associated tasks based on the recommendations in the consultant’s report. The work package will help staff determine whether the project should be classified as a non-capital expense, which includes recurring costs, or a capital project, a large, upfront investment that will benefit the pool long-term.
An operating budget or a capital improvement budget will be made based on the decided classification.
Once both the work package and cost estimates are finalized, staff will return to the council with an update and a preliminary budget, which will serve as the basis for identifying and pursuing potential funding sources to support project implementation.
