Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014 • Committee picks Credence as pool site
Publisher’s note: This story originally appeared in the Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014 edition of the Lassen County Times.
Governing board member Larry Wosick said he didn’t want to pat himself on the back, but he said accomplishments of the Honey Lake Valley Recreation Authority in two months reveal the true power of what people can accomplish when they work together.
In March 2011, former Lassen County Administrative Officer Tom Stone proposed using grant funds to construct a $5 million outdoor pool complex with shops and restaurants near the old Roosevelt Pool site, a facility similar to this one Glenwood Springs, Colorado. The county did not qualify for the grant funds Stone planned to use.The authority, created in December by a joint powers agreement between the city of Susanville and the Lassen County Board of Supervisors, unanimously approved moving forward with a proposed site at Credence High School at its Tuesday, Feb. 18 meeting.
Staff conducted a second phase of analysis on the top three sites selected earlier this month based on 12 criteria, and the Credence site scored the highest with 71 points. The South Street site, located near the old Roosevelt Pool, scored 68 points and the Mesa Street site scored 64 points.
Lassen County Supervisor Larry Wosick.“This group is a testament to what can be done to what can and should be done,” Wosick said. “In two months, we’ve reached out and have a public member. We have a budget … We’ve done an analysis (of 19 sites) … We have a fundraising effort, and we’re looking at forming a group with nonprofit status. We have a mechanism of operating with a treasurer. At this meeting, basically two months into it, we’re ready to select a site. It feels good to be a part of it. At our first meeting I think I said, watch how quickly we accomplish this because we have a group of people who are working toward a common goal with no ulterior motives. We’re all here for the same reason — the public — and I think this is what they expect from us … I just want to thank everyone who’s played a role in it.”
Wosick suggested vice-president Jim Chapman make the motion to approve the Credence site. Chapman frequently has expressed his preference for the South Street site near the old Roosevelt Pool, and he said some of the old timers in town might find it difficult to think of a new pool in a different location, but he’s happy with the analysis and the ranking process.
Lassen County Supervisor Jim Chapman.“This is a new direction,” Chapman said. “This is a new effort” to serve a new generation of users in a new century.
City Administrator Jared Hancock.According to the staff report, prepared by Jared Hancock, executive director, staff completed the analysis of the top three sites as directed by the governing board. The criteria included site configuration, access and parking, property acquisition, site preparation costs, utility extension costs, permitting/California Environmental Quality Act costs, adjacent property constraints, additional funding sources, potential activity hub, heating analysis, revenue analysis and expense analysis.
The board directed Hancock to continue negotiation with the Susanville School District and the Lassen Union High School District regarding the purchase of the property.
Hancock said both districts were highly supportive of the project but didn’t have any money to contribute. At Tuesday’s meeting it remained unclear which district owned the property. He said the high school board wanted more information regarding what went wrong in the early 1980s when there apparently was no formal transfer of the site from the elementary school district to the high school district. Hancock said the high school would work with the elementary school district to unwind their relationship.
Susanville School District Superintendent Jason Waddell said the board of trustees urged him to negotiate with the Joint Pool Authority during closed session at its Wednesday, Feb. 19 board meeting. He said it was recently discovered the district owned the Credence High School land, not the high school, as it was formerly believed.
Although nothing is solidified, Waddell said the district will not be looking to get money, but is looking to give the land to the authority in exchange for some kind of student discount or free admission.
“Let’s be a good partner,” Waddell said, referring to the district’s role in the pool process.
The Lassen Unified High School District explored the possibility of building a pool at Credence High School back in 2007. That plan never came to fruition.Budget
The governing board unanimously adopted a budget covering the years 2013-2014 and 2014-2015. The total budget for both years anticipates revenues of $1 million — $400,000 from the city of Susanville, $400,000 from Lassen County and $200,000 from other sources.
The total budget anticipates expenses of $694,800 leaving $305,200 in revenues over expenses. But in the year 2014-2015 the budget is expected to be $66,000 in the red due to an estimated $300,000 in construction costs.
Included in the total budget are $107,000 in starting costs; $40,000 in consultant services; $50,000 in staff reimbursements; $15,000 in legal services; $7,000 In site selection costs; $55,000 in site acquisition costs; $70,000 in facility design; $300,000 in construction costs (a total of $2.5 million over the life of the project); $25,500 in equipment; $3,000 in materials; $1,500 in advertising; $800 in printing; and $20,000 in a contingency fund.
Hancock said the budget may have to be adjusted once the authority begins getting cost estimates back, but “staff believes this is a good baseline starting point.”
Many Lassen County youngsters learned to swim in Roosevelt Pool — now closed for more than a decade. If all goes according to plan, the community may have a pool in the near future.Treasurer
The authority board unanimously approved using the county as its treasurer assuming the authority would only be charged the direct costs of the services it received and not charged any indirect costs. County staff could be assigned this responsibility by the board of supervisors.
Nonprofit group
The authority board also discussed the creation of a nonprofit group that could solicit and collect tax-exempt donations from the public.
Hancock said government could not create and control this nonprofit group because it would have its own board of directors. He said the nonprofit would be an independent board separate from the JPA, and it would be “difficult if not impossible” to force them to give money they’ve collected for the pool project to the authority if they did not want to do that.
Brian Wilson.President Brian Wilson said the key would be finding someone who was responsible and passionate about the project.
Energy cost comparison
Hancock said staff followed direction from the authority’s last meeting and reworked the energy cost comparisons using geothermal and solar heating and there were some cost savings.
The numbers were based on a 5,500 square foot pool with an average depth of 7 feet that was covered when not in use.
According to Hancock, because of the way the city’s geothermal system is configured, the Credence site could obtain geothermal energy year-round without the city having to activate the entire system. He said that wouldn’t be possible for the South Street site because there are other users on the system in the area, although it might be possible to change that.
The estimated energy costs at a year-round facility ranged from $25,550 to $107,322. The estimated energy costs at a facility that operated six months out of the year ranged from $10,550 to $23,299.
