Q & A concerning the New Albany Swimming Pool

Some decisions have been made with respect to construction of the new pool at Memorial Park. The School District pool committee's recommendations will be discussed at next week's School Board meeting and the School Board may approve the recommendations at that meeting.

Below is a set of questions from Ira Sharenow and responses provided by Superintendent Dr. Wong regarding the design and construction of the new Albany Swimming Pool.

Thank you to Ira Sharenow and Dr. Wong for this information.

1. When will the current pool facility be removed?

The actual date the old pool will be demolished has not been determined. The conceptual design for the pool will be presented to the Board of Education on June 10, 2008 for approval. At that time, the architect will begin engineering and architectural drawings. Construction drawings and approval by the Division of State Architects may take six to nine months to complete. Demolition will take several weeks of actual construction time. The date the old pool will close will be determined based upon the swimming classes that can be completed and consideration will be given to how long our employees will be out of work. It will probably close two to three weeks before demolition.

2. When will construction begin?

Approximately 8 weeks after the plans have been approved by the Division of State Architects.

3. What is the anticipated completion date?

Construction will take approximately 9 to 12 months after the plans have been approved by the Division of State Architect.

4. Will the competition pool be indoor or outdoor?

The pool advisory committee is recommending that the competition pool be built as an outdoor pool at this time, but be constructed in a way so that a roof can be added later. The instructional pool will be designed as an indoor pool.

5. Will the warm pool be indoor or outdoor?

The instructional pool will be kept warmer than the competition and will be designed as an indoor pool.

6. What will be the size of the warm pool?

The instructional pool will be designed to be 50 x 75 feet. The competition pool is being designed at 25 meters x 25 yards.

7. How many classrooms and other mainstream school facilities will be built?

The design will include two portable classrooms in the project. Other than supportive facilities for the pool (locker rooms, storage, office, etc) no other mainstream school facilities will be built.

8. What decision has been made with respect to cafeteria related construction?

The current cafeteria/multipurpose room was designed to serve as a food service facility. The plans will include purchasing food serving carts and stations with tables and chairs for students. Only minor electrical work will be needed to make the food service area operational.

9. What is the expected cost of the construction?

The total amount of funds available through the 2008 bond election is approximately $10 million dollars. The design is being made to contain construction cost to this amount.

10. How is the Board hedging against inflation?

The construction budget has a 5% inflation amount built in.

11. Has the Board considered a fixed floating swap or other interest rate derivative?

The purpose of the bond is to fund necessary construction for public entities. The Board is prohibited from selling bonds early for the purpose of taking advantage of any higher interest rate investment program. Our funds are deposited with the Alameda County Treasurer and are subject to the investment requirements of their office.

12. Has the Board set a final date for receiving recommendations from the committee?

The swimming advisory committee will present their recommendations to the Board of Education on June 10, 2008.

13. Has the Board set a date for finalizing its decisions?

The Superintendent is recommending that the Board approve the conceptual design for the pool at their June 10, 2008 meeting.

14. Given that the bond measure passed in early February, is there any reason why construction cannot begin this summer, especially given the inflationary concerns?

The first task initiated by the school district was to organize an advisory committee to make recommendations on a conceptual design. After several months of work, that committee will make their recommendation to the Board on June 10, 2008. Large school construction projects require the development of construction plans that must be submitted to the Division of State Architects for approval. These plans can only be developed after a conceptual design has been identified. There are no stock construction plans available that fits the footprint for the Albany Pool, therefore complete sets of new plans must be drawn. The Division of State Architects reviews the plans for structural safety, health and life safety, accessibility, and other concerns. All of these tasks take months to complete.