District Dives into Long-Awaited Pool Renovation
Measure H funds are now being allocated to support the revitalization of the campus swimming pool By Maxwell Moiseff and Darius Parakh |
Following 20 years of wear and tear by student athletes, the San José Unified School District is currently remodeling Pioneer’s swimming facility, bringing the site up to more modern design standards since its last renovation in the 1990s.
The construction, which is set to be completed by Jan. 8, will replace the pool’s decades-old tiling, lighting, heating and plumbing systems, much of which has degraded due to frequent use. Every SJUSD high school pool will receive similar treatment as part of a district-wide operation funded by Measure H, a 2012 bond allocating $290 million to repairing and equipping old facilities with new technology. To the Facilities, Construction and Purchasing Manager Amy Ruffo, the project’s sole focus will be to maintain the pool’s current functionality. “We’re adding an all-new boiler, heat and chemical exchanger and lights, on top of the obvious replastering of the pool,” said Ruffo. “The heater broke down last year, which we temporarily fixed with a refurbished boiler, but that is simply not feasible to maintain in the long run.” With the pool nearing 60 years in age, its condition has become a point of contention for Pioneer’s athletes. Athletic Director Joe Berticevich said that despite the many new upgrades the facilities will be receiving, he wishes that the pool could be replaced entirely. “We’d be ecstatic if it would be a new pool but that just wouldn’t happen,” said Berticevich. Such an endeavor would require the district to pass an entirely new bond, a long and arduous process with a slim chance of succeeding. In the meantime, swimming and water polo coach Beth Korbus listed several other changes she would like to see implemented within the pool. “It would be great if they could dig out the shallow end to make it deeper to allow water polo games to be played at Pioneer,” said Korbus. “I would also love if we could have gutters in the pool. That would really help with floating debris and the ability to get the junk out of the way — got to love those seagull feathers floating around the pool.” For varsity water polo and swim team member Jeila Bacon, 11, the construction will ideally improve the swimming facility’s aesthetic. “I think that it’ll help keep it cleaner for all of us,” said Bacon. “I think (the tiling) will make the pool look nicer, because there were broken tiles.” Girls’ water polo coach Steve Kurihara said that the new heating system will help alleviate problems that the team had in years prior. “Last swim team season, a broken down heater severely impacted their ability to practice and host meets,” said Kurihara. “That could easily have happened during water polo season so installing a new heater should minimize the chances of practice disruption, which is a big help.” With the construction taking part during the aquatic sports’ offseason, Korbus assures that should the renovations continue on schedule, swim practices will not be affected. “The current timeline has the construction slated to be complete by winter break,” said Korbus. “If all goes well and they stay on pace, we shouldn’t have a problem starting the season on time when the first practice begins.” |