City Mgm't Says Its Previously-Estimated Costs For Planned Belmont Plaza Pool Rebuild Have Escalated, Will Offer Council Downsize Options At Study Session Today @ 4 p.m.; LBREPORT.com Will Carry It Live

(June 17, 2014) -- Brought forward for public discussion two weeks after runoffs for Mayor and two Council districts, city management has scheduled a City Council study session at 4 p.m. today (June 17) -- which LBREPORT.com will carry LIVE -- to present the outgoing Council (five of nine voting members exiting) with options that could downsize the previously planned rebuild of the seismically-shuttered Belmont Plaza pool.

Management says its previously estimated costs (from just over a year ago) have dramatically "escalated." [for some scenarios nearly doubled.]

[Comment: Management's position arguably invites scrutiny of management-estimated costs surrounding a Civic Center rebuild.]

One of management's proposed options includes eliminating a separate deep water pool, an item that aquatics proponents strongly favor to enable practice for diving, synchronized swimming and the like. Managament previously indicated including this item would increase costs.

City management hasn't provided a formal agendizing memo for today's study session but has released a Power Point presentation which can be viewed at this link.

LBREPORT.com has learned that the cost issues and potential downsizing were already known prior to the June 3 city election runoffs. A memo dated May 23, 2014, addressed to the City Manager for members of the City Council, quietly described the cost issues, stating in part: "The original estimate for the pool was approximately $62 million all costs (design and construction). to meet the objectives outlined by the Council and community for the new facility, the estimated cost is now $97-120 million."

A Facebook page for "Rebuild the Belmont Plaza Pool" says some management options "are lilely to...impact whether or not we end up with the world class, state of the art aquatics complex that we all want, or live for the next 40 or so years with a very expensive recreational pool for local use only."

Those who live near the pool are also concerned about noise and parking issues.

City management hasn't provided a formal agendizing memo for today's study session but has released a Power Point presentation which can be viewed at this link.

Because today's item (June 17) item is agendized as a "study session," it presumably doesn't allow Council voted action. There are two more regularly scheduled Council meetings (July 1 and July 8) before a new Council majority, including 3rd dist. Councilmember-elect Suzie Price (elected in April), takes office July 15.

Developing.