- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Pool project requires additional repairs and costs
LAKEPORT – Despite weather delays during February and plenty of unexpected repair work, work on the Westshore Pool is moving forward, with the pool expected to be ready for action this summer.
At its Feb. 6 meeting, the council awarded a $313,370 bid for renovating the pool to Pleasanton-based Pool Time, which was the only company to submit a bid on the project.
The renovations, according to city staff, are funded primarily by Measure I proceeds, along with a $168,000 state grant.
City Engineer Scott Harter reported Pool Time began work on the pool Feb. 12.
Since work got under way, there have been several discoveries that weren't expected in the original project scope, Harter said.
Those included Pool Time's finding that parts of the pool, such as the main drain, needed to be re-plumbed due to leaks. That resulted in having to remove parts of the pool wall, which will have to be replaced with a special kind of concrete.
As a result, Pool Time Project Manager Bob Dwyer has attended the last few City Council meetings to ask for contract change orders to cover additional costs.
While the council grumbled about the requests, they ultimately approved them, saying they felt the community had made clear its desire for the pool's renovation.
“The pool has never been one of my favorite items, but if we're going to fix it, we're going to fix it right," Mayor Roy Parmentier said at the council's Feb. 20 meeting.
During a special council meeting on March 9, the council asked Dwyer to come and answer questions about the project, which he did as part of asking for a fourth change order.
The council approved that order, bringing the total cost of the pool now to $370,515.
Dwyer, who has been building and remodeling pools in 1973, said delays during remodeling projects aren't uncommon.
He's had about a week's worth of delays due to rainy weather in February and that, along with the other renovation issues, has caused him to be little behind in his timeline. However, Dwyer said he expects to be finished in time for the summer season.
Harter said the local swim team start training in May.
In his meetings with the council, Dwyer said he felt they've been receptive to the issues with the pool.
When the work is done, said Dwyer, “Everybody will be very pleased. It will look so much cleaner than before.”
That's because it will have new coping, tile and plaster, and 75-percent new plumbing, Dwyer said. In fact, everything but the pool floor has been completely replumbed, he added.
There is some electric repair that remains, he said, but for the most part, he believes most of the surprises are past.
“I think we've discovered most of the stuff that is extra, above and beyond the original contract scope,” he said.
Remodeling the pool will make it essentially brand-new, he said, for less than half of what it would cost to build a new pool.
He said he has plans to build a new pool for the City of East Palo Alto that will be 4,300 square feet, about the same size as Westshore. That project, he said, will cost about $1 million.
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