VENTURA : New Pool Urged for High School
The swimming pool at Ventura High School, closed last spring after it was discovered to be cracked and sinking into the shifting ground beneath it, should be replaced, an engineering study has found.
Staff members of the Ventura Unified School District recommended to the school board Tuesday night that the district take the suggestion of Aquatic Engineering Inc. and build a new pool, costing between $456,000 and $518,000.
The only other option is to repair cracks in the pool shell, one of which runs nearly half the width of the pool, and to repair leaky underground pipes, said Eric Fraer, assistant project manager with the firm.
Repairing the pool could cost as much as $190,000, the report found.
“There’s no guarantee how long those repairs would last,” Assistant Supt. Richard Welcher said. “We could do it and five days later it could crack again.”
At its next meeting, the board will consider the district staff’s recommendation to remove the pool and build a new 12-foot-deep diving pool for an estimated $518,000.
The major obstacle is that the district lacks funding for a new pool and must find a way to pay for the facility.
The staff recommended that school officials meet with Ventura city officials to discuss construction of a community aquatics center that would be available to students for competitive training and would also be open to the public.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
