The Woodland City Council adopted a resolution Tuesday approving project plans and specifications for the Southeast Area Aquatic Center Project that has garnered a mix of support and opposition from community members with some arguing for a need for another swimming pool and others worried about the high cost of the project.
According to the city staff report, the estimated cost of construction for the aquatic center is $15.3 million meaning the city needs to identify other funding sources to cover the remaining project costs. These include development fees, American Rescue Plan funds, Measure J, Measure F, the general fund and community fundraising.
Currently, the city has set aside $10.9 million in its capital budget – including $2 million in Measure F funding allocated during the council's last meeting. Development fees earmarked for the new pool account for roughly $4 million but have not been formally allocated to the project budget.
Additionally, $1.3 million in fees will be created with the buildout of the Ruby Estates and Merritt Ranch Subdivision projects in Spring Lake, according to the report. Community fundraising efforts have generated another $1.5 million.
Last year, the project relocated from its original site adjacent to Pioneer High School to the Community and Senior Center after a soil analysis of the original location revealed unsuitable conditions to build the project.
The consultant's proposal to excavate the unsuitable soil and recompact the site would have cost over $1 million to perform and inspect. The new location would still allow Pioneer High School to use the pool for competition.
Relocation to the community center – located at 2001 East St. – cost the city approximately $245,000 in consultant costs.
Once the bid price is known and the city is ready to award a construction contract, the council will need to approve a budget authorization for the total project cost in a future meeting.
"The city currently operates one municipal pool, the Charles Brooks Community Swim Center, located adjacent to Woodland High School," the report explained. "The City Council has identified completion of a second community pool as a priority goal."
A council subcommittee has worked with city staff to confirm the recommended project scope and budget, which includes the following.
- A competition swimming pool with 10 25-yard by 25-meter lanes, eight completion lanes, shallow learn-to-swim lanes and ADA accessibility.
- An activity and recreation pool with interactive water play features, instructional areas, a wading area and a zero-depth entry area.
- A support building with an office and ticketing space; a locker, dressing, toilet and shower area; a lifeguard, first aid and training area; a mechanical room; chemical storage rooms; custodial space; a maintenance technician office and workspace; an electrical room.
- Site features including roughly two acres of overall development, shade structures, utility connections, fencing, lighting, sidewalks and paths of travel, deck space and landscaping.
Now that completion of the project plans and specifications have been completed, the city is requesting that the City Council approve construction documents and authorize the city to advertise the project for bids.
"Upon council approval, the construction documents will be advertised for approximately 30 days with bid opening scheduled for the end of June," the report stated. "Staff anticipates that the construction contract award will be presented to council for approval in mid-July."
Construction is expected to take roughly 15 months with project completion estimated in fall 2025.
During the council's Tuesday meeting, City Manager Ken Hiatt highlighted some of the project's biggest donors who have contributed a significant amount of money to make up for funding shortfalls current estimates show. These donors include the following:
- John and Eunice Davidson Fund
- Nugget Markets
- Lennar Homes
- Tom and Meg Stallard, contributed to the project
- Cobram Estates
- Woodland Clinic Medical Group
- Pacific Coast Producers
- UNICO
Hiatt noted that the project has received multiple other smaller donations and fully expects that the city will have all the funding necessary to construct the project by the time it awards a construction contract.
"There's a longer list of smaller donations… and we've really held back on going out and doing the harder work, which is opening it up to the broader community and asking them to partner with us as well," Hiatt stressed. "But we will do that once we get the project positioned for final construction."
Mayor Pro Tempore Rich Lansburgh asked Ed Wisniewski, the principal civil engineer for Woodland who presented the project plans and specifications, what the city would do if bids are higher than the estimated $15.3 million.
Wisniewski noted that although city staff hope the bids come in under or around the cost the architect team is projecting, it's too hard to say. However, he noted that the architect team had seen some bids for other projects come in slightly under what they had estimated.
"Hopefully that's a sign that some of these costs are trending downward," he stated.
Councilwoman Victoria Fernandez touched on a public comment email the council received regarding the design of the aquatic center, which she noted reflects concerns she's heard from other community members. She asked city staff what the process was for community input and whether or not the Parks and Recreation Commission was involved in the design of the project.
Wisniewski noted that the city did extensive community outreach in the past regarding what community members wanted to see in the facility.
"What you see here is basically the feedback that we got from the community," he said regarding the design of the pool. "These were the features that they wanted to see built with the project."
The council voted unanimously to adopt the resolution approving the project plans and specifications and authorizing bid advertisement for the aquatic center project.
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