LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Westshore Pool is set to reopen for public swims this summer.
The city of Lakeport said the pool's summer season will run from June 1 to Aug. 1. It will be open from noon to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays for the public swim.
Last summer, the pool didn't open to the public for the summer because the city was waiting for soils tests to determine the pool's stability, said City Manager Margaret Silveira.
That need came about due to issues about the pool's construction raised by the Division of the State Architect, which oversees school construction projects, as Lake County News has reported. The pool is located on the Lakeport Unified School District grounds.
“Last year we wanted to wait until soils test came back and deemed the ground safe for the pool. All came back that earth wasn’t going to give way, but it was too late to recruit lifeguards for the open swim times,” said Silveira.
“This year we are recruiting lifeguards right now and will have open swim as usual,” she said.
Silveira said the city is opening the pool under its existing agreement with the school district for public use of the pool during the summers.
Lakeport Unified Superintendent Erin Smith-Hagberg said that, while the city plans to reopen the pool for public use, the district still can’t have the students use the facility until the Division of the State Architect determines that it is compliant with the Field Act.
The Field Act was passed in 1933, a month after a 6.3-magnitude quake hit the Long Beach area, destroying or damaging more than 230 school buildings, according to a California Seismic Safety Commission report on the legislation.
That law requires that California school facilities be designed and constructed to be earthquake-resistant.
In November, voters in the Lakeport Unified School District approved the $17 million Measure T bond, the proceeds of which will be used to upgrade existing facilities and construct new ones.
“We are currently working with TLCD Architects on the District's Master Facility Plan process which will specify the timeline for addressing each of the projects in Measure T – including the Westshore Pool,” Smith-Hagberg said.
She said she anticipates that they will be presenting the master plan to the school district board at either the August or September meeting.
The Lake County Channel Cats also will be returning to the Westshore Pool this summer to offer swim lessons for children ages 3 to 18, said Jen Hanson, president of the organization.
Hanson said the high school swim team – composed of swimmers from Clear Lake and Kelseyville high schools – can't yet swim at the Westshore Pool because of the issues with the Division of the State Architect.
As a result, the team and the Channel Cats have been swimming at Quail Run Fitness Center in Lakeport.
She said the facility has limitations because it's not deep enough for swimmers to dive, it doesn't have lines in the bottom of the pool – which makes it hard for competitive swimmers to know when the end of the pool is approaching – and, because of those limitations, it can't be used for swim meets.
“We are hoping that the Westshore Pool will be refurbished by next spring so that the high school team can return to its home pool,” Hanson said.
Hanson said the team's annual Family Bingo Night on April 11 was a huge success, raising about $4,000 to heat the pool at Quail Run and pay coaching staff.
The Kelseyville Lions Club also hosted a pancake breakfast on Sunday for the team, which Hanson said will help pay rent at Westshore Pool during the summer months.
For information about pool entry fees, swim lessons and lifeguard recruitment see the following link: http://goo.gl/XWo4av .
For further information about the pool, contact Reana Hoaglen at the city of Lakeport, 707-263-3578, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
City of Lakeport plans summer Westshore Pool opening
- Elizabeth Larson
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