Oxnard Group Urges Large Pool for School

A group of Oxnard swim coaches, students and community activists will band together tonight to urge Oxnard high school district trustees to approve a pool for the new Oxnard High campus that will be state-of-the-art for competitive swimming.

Trustees are scheduled to choose a design from three options at their board meeting tonight. The pool option preferred by the coaches and students is the largest and most costly, said Richard Canady, the district’s business manager.

That pool design is rectangular in shape, measures 105 feet long by 75 feet wide and costs $1,074,000. A smaller, 75- by 80-foot pool similar to the L-shaped pool at the existing Oxnard High would cost about $910,000, Canady said.

The third alternative, a square pool, falls somewhere between in cost, he said.

Larry Raffaelli, head swimming coach at Oxnard High School, said Canady told him last year that the replacement pool at the new campus would be essentially a copy of the present pool. Raffaelli said when he heard that he “went to bat” to try and get the pool upgraded.

By Tuesday afternoon, district staff members had not decided which of the three options they will recommend to trustees, Canady said. But cost will be an important factor, he said.

Whatever option is recommended by staff members, the ultimate decision will be up to the five trustees. Raffaelli said this is why he began organizing a lobbying effort several months ago to persuade trustees to choose the largest pool design.

“This is not only going to be a pool for school swim competitions and water polo,” Raffaelli said. “What we build will affect the whole community.”

At least 20 speakers are expected to ask the board to approve the largest swimming facility, Raffaelli said. A pool that size would accommodate 12 swimming lanes, six for competition and six for instruction, he said.

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Half the lanes would be 3 1/2 feet to 4 1/2 feet deep for swim lessons; the other lanes would range in depth from six to 13 feet, ideal for competitive swimming and water polo, Raffaelli said.

A smaller, L-shaped pool would cost less to build, but with a maximum depth of four feet it would be difficult for competitive swimmers to use, he said. Aquatics organizations recommend that pools be at least six feet deep for competitive swimming, he said.

The third alternative, a square pool, is not being seriously considered by school or district staff members, Canady said.

Larry Baratte, the head swim coach at Ventura College, said he will be among those who urge trustees to choose the largest design. The larger pool could be an asset for all Oxnard residents, Baratte said.

“It’s curious to me that Ventura, Camarillo, Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley have updated facilities, and then Oxnard gets this out-of-date, itty-bitty pool,” Baratte said.

He noted that besides Oxnard High’s pool, which is open to the public during the summer and after school, the only other public pool in Oxnard is an aging facility in La Colonia. Aquatic opportunities in the area have not kept pace with the city’s explosive growth, he said.

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Raffaelli, who has been a swim coach at Oxnard High for 25 years, said the district can recover the $164,000 cost difference within six years by renting the pool to swim clubs or the city after school and during summers.

Canady said he is not sure the costs would be recovered that quickly. But the district may be able to make the pool available for the community in return for some city funding, he said.

Dustin Sanchez, a star swimmer on Oxnard’s varsity team, said he is excited by the prospect of competing in a world-class pool. Currently, he said, four swim teams must practice together in Oxnard High’s L-shaped pool.

“It’s not the ideal way to train,” said the 17-year-old. “It’s crowded, it’s wavy and it’s too shallow.”

The board meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the multipurpose room of the Nueva Vida School at 220 S. K St.