Albany Pool Plans Approved, Project Open for Bids

State planners gave the green light to the school district's swimming pool project Wednesday, moving the effort into the bidding stage, officials said yesterday.

The new pool, which could open in June 2011, is intended to serve the entire Albany community.

On July 21, the Division of the State Architect gave the school's pool plans its stamp of approval "with no substantial changes," said project manager David Burke of Bollo Construction in West Sacramento.

"The DSA made some comments and the architect addressed those comments. Those did not result in any substantive changes to the design of the building," he said. "That tells me that the original design submitted by the architect is a good design."

The division is responsible for analyzing all public school building projects in California. It checks plans to ensure they comply with ADA rules, fire and safety requirements, and structural building codes.

"I know there have been questions from the community and statements made that the building is unstable, that there are problems with the depth of the pool," Burke said. "That is not accurate."

He said the state review process went smoothly and that there would be no additional costs or changes as a result.

He called the approval a "major milestone" for the pools, which should open next June if construction goes according to plan. Work should begin in September, according to the Albany Unified School District's time line.

Officials had hoped to open the pool in May 2011, but delays at the state level "put a crimp in that plan." 

Pool planners anticipated six months for the state's review; Burke said it took longer because of furloughs and other challenges the state is facing.

The district submitted its design plans to the state on Dec. 2, 2009, according to the Division of the State Architect website. The plans were marked as complete March 2.

This delay in reaching the "complete" status is "common for DSA ... until DSA is satisfied they have all of the information needed to complete the review," according to a district fact sheet about the pool from March.

The next step will be for the district to receive bids, Burke said. To ensure the project would be run by a "financially stable" and "experienced" contractor, the district solicited information from would-be builders to vet them in a "pre-qualification process."

This process netted 19 possible contractors who submitted financial statements along with previous experience in school or public works projects, Burke said. All 19 met the requirements and will be able to bid on the project.

The district will assess bids Aug. 17 and will give the project to the lowest bidder, as required by law. Officials will then take a close look at the winning bid to make sure it reflects the design plan. If it does, a construction contract will be completed and a date set for the end of the project.

According to the district, pool plans were, for the most part, submitted according to schedule. Superintendent Marla Stephenson said she had hoped to turn in plans to the state last November; she filed them in early December.

More serious delays occurred in the early phases of the project, as planners tried to sort out issues related to pool costs and design. 

A Pool Committee to map out the process was formed in April 2008 after a majority of voters approved a bond measure to fund a new pool. 

Initially, the district hoped to turn in a design to the state in January 2009. But this plan was suspended and the Albany Pool Sustainability Committee formed, in March 2009, to "re-evaluate the design and economics of the Albany Pool Project," according to the district website. 

The project is funded by Measure E, a $10 million bond measure that passed in February 2008 with 71 percent of the vote. The "Albany Community Pool Improvement Bond" provided for pool reconstruction and related facilities such as showers and lockers. It also said money could be spent on an unspecified number of "additional classrooms," though no details about this were included.

The bond is scheduled to be repaid over 18 years. The district has set aside an additional $700,000 to help offset costs.

Construction costs alone have been estimated to hit about $7.7 million, according to a December 2009 report prepared by a consultant. Of that, the classrooms are estimated to cost $625,000.

The former pool, which was built in 1950, was demolished in July 2009 after closing the previous December. Asbestos and lead were removed from the site last summer in preparation for construction of what is slated to become an eco-friendly aquatic center.

The pools are intended to serve everyone in the community: K-12 gym classes; the Albany Adult School; children's classes; and other city residents.

The new facility will have a 50-by-75-foot indoor pool, a 75-by-75-foot outdoor pool and three classrooms. The indoor pool will reach seven feet deep, and the outdoor pool will reach 13 feet. 

The classrooms, which will be modular units, include one double-wide room with special features to accommodate a career technical curriculum. The district could make the classrooms two-story, doubling the space, Burke said, but that would be more expensive.

"It has been discussed," he said.

There is no room within the perimeter of the project for additional classrooms. 

"I'm looking forward to getting into construction and getting this project built," Burke said. "It's been a long time coming. It would have been nice to have DSA approval several months ago. But now we get to move into construction and get these things done."

See the Albany Pool photo gallery here, and add your own pictures to the set.