Burlingame High School swimming pool fix deal is up for approval

Should trustees approve the proposal, the Burlingame City Council will get a final vote on the proposal to fix the facility open to the community when not in use by students.

According to the terms up for approval, the school district will contribute about $3.9 million and the city will pay $2.7 million to fix the pool. The most recent figure is up about $1.7 million from the $4.9 million projected in October to rebuild the facility after structural flaws were discovered last summer during scheduled maintenance.

The pool has been closed since last year, when officials found severe issues such as insufficient rebar coverage, shell flaws and waterproofing issues, among other malfunctions.

High school district officials agreed the problems with the pool were so widespread that it would be a wiser investment to rebuild the facility than fix it. The school board approved moving ahead with the rebuild late last year.

According to the term sheet, city officials will pay $1.27 million this year, and the remaining $1.43 million will be paid by 2023 or after the city’s new community center is complete, whichever should occur first.

City officials are attempting to manage the unanticipated costs associated with fixing the pool while also financing construction of a new community center, which is facing increased costs as well.

Also under the proposed terms, city and school district officials would split maintenance and operating costs equally for the first year, at which point the ratio will be discussed and revised based on use by each party.

School and city officials as well as representatives from the Burlingame Aquatic Club, which operates programming at the facility, will look to include student athletes in the club during the offseason too.

With the new terms comes an extended use agreement for the two sides, as each party will receive rights to the pool through 2039. By 2034, either side can give notice of plans to back out of the agreement.

Discussions of fixes to the pool will also give way to an examination of improving other facilities such as the locker room. Though the additional work is not yet funded, a report suggested selling naming rights could be a potential source of revenue. Any additional work would need to be approved by the Division of the State Architect, which oversees construction at school facilities.

With groundwork already laid for the pool reconstruction, officials hope the state division will approve plans for the work in May, which could set up work beginning in June. Officials hope the new pool is finished by the end of 2019, though work could be postponed by poor weather or delayed plan approval.

With an initial approval on the horizon, Burlingame City Manager Lisa Goldman said she is pleased with the way city and school officials negotiated in good faith to find a potential cost-sharing solution to a difficult situation.

“Both the district and city were working collaboratively to come to a resolution,” she said.

In other business at the meeting, officials will discuss the process for declaring the former Crestmoor High School campus in San Bruno as surplus property. The announcement could lay the groundwork for selling a portion of the land, which could generate revenue to construct teacher housing at the site.

District officials could also approve hiring a pollster to gauge voter opinion on a proposal to float a bond measure on a future ballot. The initiative has been discussed as a means of financing safety improvements and other facility fixes at district properties.

The San Mateo Union High School District Board of Trustees meets 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, in the SMART Center, 789 Poplar Ave.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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