Could Davis Get an Olympic-Sized Pool?

Davis residents could one day dive into a new Olympic-sized pool once used by some of the world’s greatest swimmers, if things go according to plan for swimming organizations in town.

It all started when the city proposed shutting Community Pool, the smallest and oldest of the city’s four public pools, to save money. The move was approved in the city’s budget for the fiscal year that began July 1.

The closure, though, could prove to be a blessing in disguise, Stu Kahn, head coach of Davis Aquatic Masters, an adult swim team that uses the facility, said.

“Our long term vision that had been so far off for years now is now close,” Kahn said.

If all goes well, the new 50-meter Olympic pool could be in place by summer 2013, and Kahn said the city has agreed to maintain it.

USA Swimming holds Olympic trials for swimming using two special above-ground pools that are assembled inside the Qwest Center, a sports arena in Omaha, Neb. After the event, the pools are sold to communities around the country.

Building an Olympic-sized pool normally costs between $3 and $5 million, Kahn said. Buying one used from USA Swimming costs just $1 million, which local organizations would try to raise through fundraising efforts. The cost includes shipping, installation, and heating systems for the pool.

A community college in Yucaipa, Calif, and a new aquatics center in Richmond, Va. landed pools from the 2004 and 2008 trials.

Kahn said he disagreed at first with the city’s decision to close Community Pool, since the financial savings were based on projected future maintenance costs, which were more than the other pools because of Community Pool’s age. Closing the pool based on that alone would be premature, he said.

“Our advice was, let’s run the old jalopy until she breaks down,” Kahn said. “The city wants to get rid of the jalopy before she breaks.”

The pool, which is open to the public just two hours a day during the week, from 1 to 3 p.m., attracts mainly children attending city-run summer camps, who get in for free, said Christina Mora, who staffs the entrance to the pool for her third summer.

When the pool closes, staff could be shifted to other pools rather than laid off, since they already shift between Community Pool and the city’s newest pool, Arroyo, Taylor Inouye, the pool’s assistant manager, said.

For Kahn, the prospect of a new Olympic-sized pool makes a few years of inconvenience easier to swallow.

Swimming organizations in town have established routines and have specific needs that are met by the current facilities, and closing the pool would create a domino effect of logistical hassles. Davis High School uses Arroyo Pool for the water polo and swimming seasons and Davis Aquatic Masters uses Civic Pool. Davis AquaStarz, a synchronized swimming team, uses Community Pool because it is the city’s deepest pool, at 13 feet, and the sport’s acrobatics require a deep pool. The only pool to relocate them to would be Manor Pool, but it is only four feet deep, which is insufficient, Kahn said.

“The city shut the pool down without thinking this through,” Kahn said.

If Davis received a new pool, the plan would be to put the new above-ground pool at the site of Community Pool. A deck could be built around it so that the sides of the pool are not visible. Maintenance issues, like those at Community Pool, would be simpler in an above-ground pool because workers can access all parts of the structure, Kahn said.

Then the city could close Civic Center Pool and operate just three pools, but have the same capacity as the current system of four facilities.

And Kahn’s swimmers would get their dream pool.