Why is this pool still closed? Sacramento has had funds to repair it since last summer

Reality Check is a Bee series holding officials and organizations accountable and shining a light on their decisions. Have a tip? Email realitycheck@sacbee.com.

The temperature crept toward triple digits in Sacramento’s Southside Park recently as neighborhood resident Dwight Young chased after 5-year-old son Andrew near the park’s iconic silver spaceship sculpture.

But there was no neighborhood pool to cool off in.

Young stared forlornly at the still-closed Southside Park pool, and had some words of frustration for city leaders. Andrew, Young said, is an active kid who needs a lot of attention. Young left his sales job and works at DoorDash and other odd jobs so he could give his son more attention, hoping he can make a smooth transition to kindergarten in the fall.

“He loves the water, don’t they get how important this is?” he said.

Young and other neighborhood residents said they are hurt and confused that work to resurface the pool only began June 10. As temperatures this Fourth of July week are expected to soar above 100 for multiple days, residents will be without the charming neighborhood pool to escape the brutal heat.

Pool was to open this summer

That the pool would be open by now seemed a sure thing last June. Assemblyman Kevin McCarty, who used to represent the area on the City Council, delivered a giant replica check representing the $500,000 in state funds for the needed repairs.

“There’s hope around the corner, light a the end of the tunnel,” said McCarty, flanked by city leaders at a news conference. “…We’re able to deliver from the state budget, $500,000 ... to start the process to construct it, open it back up next summer.”

Sarah Cox, who lives a few blocks from the park and has four school-age children, said last June she felt “extremely hopeful” the pool would open this year on time. Now, she said. her kids are crushed the pool remains closed.

So what happened? It wasn’t a matter of money. The city confirmed that the replica check turned into real funds transferred to the city last summer.

The city said it’s done its best, given the complexities it has faced. Officials still pledge the pool will open sometime this summer.

“The search for a qualified pool designer with the availability to promptly complete the design took longer than expected,” said Gabby Miller, a spokesperson for the Sacramento Parks & Recreation Dept. “High demand made commercial pool designers difficult to secure. This delayed the overall timeline for the project.”

Resurfacing delayed

But documents, including bidding notices and contracts, show months-long delays and raise questions about the process. Two pool contractors with knowledge of the process also question the decisions made by city officials.

The documents show a more-than-three month gap between when the city received design drawings for the pool and putting a contract out for bid in April. The City Council did not approve a contract until May 28.

One pool contractor who decided not to bid on the project, said residents would be splashing in the pool by now if the city had “acted with more efficiency and urgency.” The contractor, who requested anonymity because they do other work for the city, said they decided not to bid on the project because the project “felt too rushed.”

Another pool contractor, Dave Walter from Advanced Pool Coatings, said he attended an informational meeting in April. City officials then, he said, stressed that time was of the essence. “They were saying, essentially, this is a political mess,” he said. “We got to get this thing done.”

Walter specializes in fiberglass surfaces and was the contractor for several city pool repair jobs, including Tahoe Park and Glenn Hall pools. He said he was surprised given the time constraints that the city had opted to change surface types from fiberglass to shotcrete, a type of cement.

“There is nothing wrong with that type of finish,” he said. “And the contractor they selected is excellent. But the problem is that it will need to be cured underwater for around 28 days.

“Given the intense desire to get the job done with the summer clock ticking, I asked the city in person and followed up by email inquiring if they would consider a fiberglass bid,” he said. “One of the advantages of fiberglass is that it’s ready, day one.”

Contracting documents do show the city answered some questions from prospective bidders, but do not show a question raised related to a fiberglass surface.

When the pool was last resurfaced is unclear. Fiberglass pool surfaces typically last between 20-30 years.

A 2022 city-commissioned report on the status of the pool stated: “The fiberglass waterproofer is compromised by age and shards of fiberglass are suspended in the pool water, and are also found on the filter beds. This is why the pool has closed awaiting renovation.”

Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela, who represents the area, said that the underlying problem with park funding and the woes of the Southside pool are a symptom of what she calls “a crisis.” She says the city does not have the funds to pay for matters of deferred park maintenance, in part, because developers are not paying their fair share in park development fees.

“Staff has told me that these fees are something like a third of what they should be, given current needs,” she said. “There is a structural problem when it comes to how parks are funded. Parks shouldn’t be an afterthought.”

Pool may not open before Labor Day

Only one out of the four contractors who attended a mandatory meeting submitted a bid.

The $594,921 contract awarded to Adams Pool Specialties said that the job needs to be completed within 90 days or the contractor could face “liquidated damages.” The 90-day time frame to finish the job started June 10 when the work commenced, meaning it’s possible the pool will not be completed until after Labor Day.

Miller said the city plans to keep the pool open later in the season because of the delayed opening.

The contracting documents show the project was only put out to bid in April, 10 months after McCarty secured funding and more than 100 days after design drawings were created in December by the company Aquatic Design Group. Miller said the city signed a contract with the design firm last August.

“I don’t get it, “ Young said. “If the money is there, spend it. The kids need somewhere to cool off it. It’s too doggone hot.”

Southside Park Neighborhood Association President Alex Zucco, in a letter to the community after the city council finally approved a contract on May 28, said that the city had failed to act with enough urgency to get the pool open on time this year.

“For a third summer...the pool at Southside Park will be impacted by the City’s failure to act in a prompt manner,” he wrote.

‘I can’t tell you why this is taking so long’

McCarty said he is pleased the pool resurfacing is finally moving forward, but he also shared residents’ frustration.

“I was able to kind of redirect some, some state money for this worthy project,” he said. “…I think the positive is that they’re under construction.

“I can’t tell you why this is taking so long,” he said. “I know it’s hot and the kids want to get out there and swim. I get this is frustrating for the people who live near Southside Park. It’s frustrating for me, too.”

McCarty said bureaucratic delays are something that should be addressed in city government, and the fact that they occur is part of the reason why he decided to reenter city politics and run for mayor.

“This is one of the things that drives the public nuts, when things are too slow,” he said.

Cox, who is also active in the neighborhood association, said that she has been told by the parks department that “they’re willing to have an extended season. But no one wants to commit to an exact opening date.

“I think we could be looking at past Labor Day,” she said. “And by then, the kids will be back in school. I’m hoping it can happen sooner, but at this point, my expectations are very low.”