California considers closing its pool to free up money for a new pool facility.
California Mayor Richard Green said during an Aug. 9 pool committee meeting the city may need to close the indoor pool to free up money for construction of an outdoor pool and water park facility.
The city received a Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) grant to cover some construction costs on a new pool and water park adjacent to the existing facility, but inflation and uncertainty about funding threaten to put the project on hold.
The city purchased the indoor pool, built in 1975, from the California R-1 School District in 2008. The city poured $150,000-$200,000 per year into keeping the pool open. Leslie Scheidt, parks and recreation supervisor, said rust from nails on the facility's ceiling is falling into the pool, creating a mess difficult to clean. The city also recently replaced a filtration pump.
"At this point, the last major renovation was when we bought it," Scheidt said. "The pool basins only usually have about a 10-year life expectancy. We're a little over that now. We can keep putting Band-Aids on it, but at some point it will have to be replaced."
Repairs are funded through the Pool and Recreation Tax, which California created after the city purchased the facility. Although the city nets $240,000-300,000 from the tax, it only accumulated $505,000 for a new pool since 2008. The remainder each year has been spent on repairs to the existing facility.
The city hopes to replace it with a $4 million six-lane outdoor pool and water park. The city has submitted plans to DNR for a $3.2 million paired-down plan consisting of a four-lane pool without slides, a bathhouse or a lazy river.
Green said the pool is the bulk of the cost of constructing a new facility.
"The waterpark is relatively inexpensive," he said. "The cost is the outdoor pool, whether you put in four lanes or six lanes."
The four-lane pool would cost less, at $1.9 million for just the pool basin, but would be too small to host swim meets. The six-lane pool, at $2.5 million, would be eligible for both regular and conference meets. Committee member Bryan Lawson said conference meets are only held once every seven years.
Outside of the pool basins, an additional $850,000 would be spent on other aspects, including: $350,000 for a pumping facility (including equipment), $75,000 for site work, $75,000 for "furniture, fencing, etc.," $150,000 for architects and engineering and $190,000 for water park items.
Green said the DNR grant only reimburses the city 29 percent of construction costs up to $500,000, although the cap may be increased by 25 percent, or to $625,000, to account for inflation.
"The way that works...is we submit bills that total $100,000 and they will, if we dot all the t's and cross all of the i's with the feds, they reimburse us $29,000," he said. "They do not, ever, send us half a million dollars. The only way we get the money is if we submit approved invoices for money that we have spent. And they will only reimburse 29 percent."
He emphasized DNR will not pay 29 percent of the $4 million pool. Green said the only way to fund a new pool is to close the old one.
"If we leave the indoor pool open and we continue to pay $100,000-150,000 per year (in maintenance costs), we'll never be able to pay a note," he said. "That's the bottom line unless you guys got somebody that's going to donate the money for this pool."
Green said closing the facility would enable the city to borrow money to construct the facility.
"I've checked with banks," he said. "A 20-year note with 5 percent interest ... we're looking at a $240,000-a-year payment. We bring in $330,000. So we've got some cushion if we shut the indoor pool down."
He added he'd like to see the current pool facility transformed into an indoor recreation center at some point in the future. The facility would not open until after the pool is built.
"Cover that pool and put a gym over it and you can have volleyball, you can have basketball, you can have pickleball," Green added. "... What I'm saying is you could use it for a multipurpose thing and that'd be a good place for kids to go after school, for that matter."
Scheidt said a pool heater would make a pool more useful for longer periods during the year. A heater would allow the city to offer classes and meets in the outdoor pool earlier in the spring and later in the fall.
In addition to a pool, the new facility will also feature amenities for children and teenagers.
"The kiddie pool is great for little kids," Green said. "What's been proposed, what they've seen, is great for ... (children) 10 and under. There's nothing there for teenagers. And that's why I would think we'd have to do a second little phase here ... after we got the money from them, and we put in the water slides and concession stand." Although all work will be completed at the same time, Green said the slides and other features not found in the proposal will be added after DNR reimburses the city.
"I want to keep the money in town," he said. "... Because I think it's important for this city that we have something the kids can do. That's why I'd like to turn the old thing (the indoor pool) into a rec center eventually, because there's some place for kids to go."
Moving forward, Green said the city could return the grant to DNR and reapply with phases in the project proposal. However, the city would have to wait until 2024 to possibly receive a new grant. He added DNR is willing to extend the project timeline from two to four years.
To help with the decision-making process, a DNR representative will be available to provide additional information and answer questions at a special meeting 5:45 p.m., Monday at California City Hall, 500 S. Oak St.
Democrat photo/Garrett Fuller: The indoor pool facility is seen Aug. 10 in California.