NEWPORT BEACH : Group Gets $20,000 Needed to Build Pool

The aquatic boosters at Newport Harbor High School will receive both a loan and a grant for the remaining amount needed to build the school’s new Olympic-size swimming pool under a plan approved by the City Council.

The group, which had asked for a $20,000 gift from the city, instead got a $15,000 loan and a $5,000 gift.

“If we can loan them this money, then they can finish the project as planned for the kids,” said Councilman Clarence J. Turner, who led council support.

The council vote was unanimous.

“We’re very, very happy,” said Robert G. Lunde, fund-raising chairman for the club. “We have had a good response from the community. We’re really moving this thing down the line. We’re happy campers.”

The pool has been plagued with planning delays and inflated construction costs, and the City Council had been skeptical of the group’s last-minute request for additional funds. The boosters needed to have the additional funding by March 1, or the project could have gone through construction delays.

Construction of the pool, originally planned six years ago, began late last year and was expected to be finished this spring. Initially expected to cost $390,000, the pool and its amenities eventually will cost just over $560,000.

The project is being jointly funded by the boosters, the city and the Newport-Mesa Unified School District.

Boosters say the higher price comes with inflation. Also, there were some unexpected soil problems, which added to the cost.

Before the $5,000 gift and the $15,000 loan, the city had already paid $150,000, which was $25,000 more than it was originally slated to contribute.

Additionally, the boosters have raised more than $200,000 and the school district paid just over $200,000 toward the project.