Council receives update on pool

The Boulder City Council received an update last week on the new community pool and were shown renderings of what the new facility may look like and a possible completion date.

The council liked what it saw and several said how impressed they were.

“I’m grateful for what this does for our community,” Councilman Steve Walton said at the end of the update. “It’s not for council. It’s not for staff. It’s for everybody – young and old within our community and is for all ages, varieties and capabilities. It’s really going to serve our community well. This is going to be an awesome contribution to lovely and beautiful clean, green Boulder City.”

While no updated dollar figure was presented during the meeting, that figure is expected once the design phase is complete. Recent figures have it north of $40 million, up from $27 million in 2021. The bulk of that funding comes from the sales proceeds of Liberty Ridge, formerly known as Tract 350. Up to $9 million can be spent as a result of the 2024 voter-approved Capital Improvement Funding.

The design phase, which is currently 30% complete, is set to be ready in late summer of this year and at that point the cost will be determined. Construction is slated begin this fall with a completion date of late 2027 or early 2028.

The current pool will be open throughout this summer for public use.

Parks and Recreation Director Julie Calloway said the pool is not the only change for Broadbent Park, which is home to the pool. The playground will be more centered in the park and the existing tennis courts will be resurfaced by 2028 with two being designated for tennis the other two for pickleball.

The ad hoc pool committee’s recommendations include the following amenities at the pool, if funding is available:

• Lobby, admin and office space

• Locker rooms

• Storage space

• Depth sufficient for pool meets

• Adequate spectator/deck space (seating for 150-200)

• Modern technology for pool filtration

• Break room for staff/classroom

• Family restroom

• No high-edge deck

• Diving board or climbing wall or play feature

• Latest chemical/chlorination system

Eliminated from the current facility will be racquetball courts.

The committee also recommended that there be a five-lane teaching pool, a small lazy river and kids’ area, ADA accessibility, separate heater to accommodate user groups, adequate depth for user groups and in the competition pool, eight, 25-yard lanes instead of the previously-proposed 10 lanes. This change would meet the standards of the Clark County School District for competitive races hosted by BCHS.

Pablo Gotay of the design firm of VCBO Architecture, shared interior and exterior renderings and said part of the design was trying to somewhat emulate the look of Boulder City High School, which sits next door.

“Not necessarily tying it in as a brother but maybe a cousin,” he said.

To that, Councilwoman Denise Ashurst said, “I love the design and that it looks like the high school.”

Mark Hobaica, executive vice president of CORE, the project’s Construction Manager at Risk, said the company has been around since 1937 with decades in Southern Nevada. Locally, they are best known for rebuilding the high school more than a decade ago.

“So, we know this pool and this location extremely well,” he said before showing a variety of pool complexes they have built throughout the states, including those the size of Boulder City’s.