Carpinteria will need help from the community to fund repairs and improvements at the Community Pool at 5305 Carpinteria Ave.
A consultant estimated that the city currently needs $969,382 to repair the pool deck, replace the filter system, pumps, pool heater, the chlorine delivery system, and address other equipment issues.
The city hired Counsilman-Hunsaker, a pool design firm, to assess the community pool in April. On May 27, Robert Ilgenfritz, a project director with Counsilman-Hunsaker, told the Carpinteria City Council about the necessary repairs.
The biggest issue is the deck that hangs over the pool, also known as the cantilevered deck. Ilgenfritz said there is major cracking and corrosion that is bleeding through the concrete and damaging the tile. There are even some pieces that are starting to crumble off into the pool.
“If it weren’t for the cantilevered deck, I wouldn’t say the deck needs to be immediately replaced; it’s more if you’re going to do the cantilever deck you might as well do the whole thing so one contractor comes out one time, does the whole work and everything is structurally tied in together and everything looks the same,” Ilgenfritz told the council.
The other main issue is the pool chemical treatment. An automated chlorine delivery system needs to be installed, and the ozone system, a secondary sanitation system, is not working and needs replacement, according to Ilgenfritz.
Other issues include missing pool jet covers, loose stair railings, and faded pool markings.
Ilgenfritz said the pool structure itself and plaster are in good condition; however, he recommended refinishing the plaster during the third phase of the project because by 2031 it will have been 15 years since it was done. The replastering is expected to cost $461,400 and was not included in the $969,382 estimate.
Work on the bath house was also not included in the $969,382 estimate but will need to be addressed because the building is not ADA compliant and has leaky fixtures, according to the report.
Jeanette Gant, Carpinteria’s director for the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department, told the council that they will need community support in funding repairs.
“The community to help support the funding of this is going to be the biggest hurdle for us to overcome,” Gant said. “It’s quite an expensive project, and we’re going to need to have a variety of funding sources—and a lot of them.”
Councilmember Wade Nomura noted that when the city first built the pool over 30 years ago, it relied on state grants and donations from public interest groups.
“Even though the number is big, it’s an asset that we fundraised for back then and looking at it now I would highly recommend we do the same,” Nomura said. “It’s the way the playground was built, it’s the way the skatepark was built.”
Ilgenfritz broke all the work into three phases that would occur over five years. The first phase would cost $218,954 and would include replacing signage, jet covers, the cantilevered deck and other items.
The second phase would include replacing the water heater, tanks, pumping and piping and would cost roughly $115,663.
The third phase would include replastering, finishing the deck, and replacing the pool filter. This phase is estimated to cost $1,491,373 because of inflation and the cost of replaster.
The next step will be for city staff to develop a work package with all the tasks that need to be completed in the pool repair project to help determine a budget. Once staff has a preliminary budget, they will return to the council for project approval.
