Piedmont Community Pool: A look back at how we got here

With the Piedmont Community Pool stalled in the commissioning phase — and resident impatience mounting — we’ve compiled a timeline of the project based on our reporting since 2020, when the old pool was closed in response to the pandemic and city deliberations began over the future of the site.

The city’s commitment to sustainability via its Climate Action Plan (updated in 2018) played an important role in the decision to build an all-electric pool. Many community members wrote letters and attended meetings and workshops to advocate for a “green” pool.

The ambitious project moved along steadily until late 2023 and into 2024 when unforeseen construction site issues appeared and costs rose. Although the construction phase of the project was largely wrapped up in September 2025 when the new pools were filled with water, an opening date remains elusive as project managers work to get the facility’s mechanical and pool systems all working together. The last official update from the city was in November 2025; the city said in an email on Friday that it would be providing another update this week.

Background

The community pool first opened in 1964. Until 2011, it was operated by the private Piedmont Swim Club. In 2011, the city assumed responsibility for the pool’s operation.

Starting in 2002, the Piedmont community launched several efforts to build a new aquatics center, including an “Aquatics Master Plan Conceptual Design” in November 2016. In 2018, a consultant told Piedmont officials it would cost more than $1.5 million for needed renovations to extend the aging pool’s life by at least five years.

When COVID forced the pool closure, the city had to make a decision whether or not to reopen the aging pool. At a special meeting in June 2020, the City Council heard a report about whether to keep the 56-year-old pool open. They were told that assuming “no catastrophic failure of the pool vessel structures themselves,” it was expected the city could spend more than $4 million over the next 10 years to keep the pool “marginally functional,” with significant annual operating shortfalls a virtual certainty.

After that meeting, Council asked for more information from city staff before making a decision around reopening the pool.

In July 2020, the Council prioritized the pool among other facilities projects, saying it was essential for Piedmont’s community fabric and that the prospects of wringing more mileage out of the aging facility were slim to none. It voted to put a bond measure for the pool on the Nov. 3 ballot that year.

The community and Council continued to debate whether to reopen the old pool even as plans were in motion to build a new one. The Council decided in September 2020 to keep it closed for a variety of reasons, among them the difficulty in hiring staff and managing swimmers due to COVID, a malfunctioning heater, and the fact that the pool was leaking about 3,000 gallons of water a day.

Timeline of planning for the new pool complex

• November 2020: Measure UU passes with 68.47 percent Piedmont voter approval. It called for authorizing the city to issue up to $19.5 million in general obligation bonds to finance construction of a new city swimming pool. 

• February 2021: The city starts its search for a construction manager to oversee the project.

• March 2021: Community members start sharing their support for the ambitious project of building an all-electric pool. Both the state of California and the city had committed to reducing their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 80% or more below 1990 levels by 2050, with an interim target of 40% below 1990 levels by 2030. (The city would receive many letters from residents in support of an all-electric pool over the next year, making arguments that the city should consider zero carbon goals in municipal buildings, for example.)

• March 2021: A Pool Advisory Committee is established to advise the City Council, city staff and project managers throughout the design and construction process.

• June 2021: The city hires Griffin Structures to serve as the project manager for the new pool. Griffin was chosen from among four firms that responded to a February request for proposals issued by the city.

• July 2021: The council unanimously approves issuing a “request for qualifications / proposals” for professionals to tackle architectural, engineering, planning and design work. The 5-0 council approval was preceded by a robust discussion of whether Piedmont is shooting high enough to ensure the pool project meets the city’s ambitious environmental goals.

• September 2021: The city drains the old pool after receiving permission from the Alameda County Department of Public Health to do so ahead of demolition work to make way for a new aquatics center on the same parcel. The city said the pool was leaking between 3,000 and 3,700 gallons of water a day.

• October 2021: Council approves the creation of a pool bond measure oversight committee to review and publicly report on spending the money generated by selling bonds approved by voters in November 2020.

• October 2021: The city selects ELS Architecture and Urban Design over seven other firms which had sought to be the lead architect for the $19.5 million pool project, which city leaders said they hoped would be finished in mid-2024.

• November 2021: The city formally authorizes 19.5 million bonds to build the pool. It was the city’s first bond issued in 50 years.

• November to December 2021: City and ELS host community workshops on the pool design. Participants considered several designs and touched on numerous topics including pool programming and design, sustainability, and strategies for eliminating greenhouse gases.

• November 2021: Bonds receive AAA rating.

• January 2022: The city creates an FAQ page to address common questions that arose during community workshops.

• January 2022: The Council approves a final concept plan for the new pool. At that time, the completion date was still a hoped-for summer of 2024.

• March 2022: Budget constraints pare back the original pool plan. In the face of fast-rising construction costs and a tight construction budget, the Council agrees to eliminate most of the second story of the pool complex building and fast-track the project out to bid.

• March 2022: Whether the pool would be heated with natural gas or by electric power is still under consideration. Residents who spoke at a Council meeting said it was worth spending the extra upfront costs for the needed infrastructure in the name of environmental protection in the big picture, and to adhere to the city’s Climate Action Plan 2.0 on a more local level.

• April 2022: City Council votes to move forward with an all-electric pool. The decision put Piedmont at the forefront of heating large public swimming pools with electricity. In California, only the city of Mountain View had adopted a similar plan. Councilmembers acknowledged some risk in going down that path, but community support for a sustainable pool was strong.

• May 2022: Council approves modification to design. The project’s design changes and accelerated timeline were undertaken to save at least $6 million from what has ballooned to a projected $25 million project construction cost. The biggest change was eliminating most of the second story of the main building, including three conference rooms, an elevator, and a stairway. The entire Community Pool Project budget is now $24.5 million, and the council is working to cap construction costs at about $19 million.

• August 2022: Private fundraising for the pool project spearheaded by the Piedmont Piedmont Recreational Facilities Organization (PRFO) gets underway PRFO aims to raise up to $2 million to support the project.

• October 2022: City Council votes to rebid pool project. The estimated cost to build the pool and associated buildings is about $21.6 million. Original bids exceeded the $21.6 million figure by more than 15 percent so the city’s pool project team recommended rejecting both bids and modifying the bid documents to expand eligibility to a wider range of prospective contractors.

• December 2022: The city announces a pool construction contract with Wickman Development and Construction, a San Francisco firm that submitted the lowest of four qualified bids the city opened on Nov. 16.

• Dec. 17, 2022: City hosts groundbreaking ceremony. Around one hundred pool supporters and donors showed up in the Magnolia Avenue parking lot for a last look at the old pool and to mark the official beginning of the long-awaited construction project.

• 

• January 2023: Council approves parking changes around construction site on Highland, Magnolia, and Hillside avenues.

• February 2023: Pool demolition begins and is expected to take six to seven weeks.

• March 2023: City says bad weather has not affected construction timeline.

• April 2023: City installs a “pool cam” on the Recreation Department building to track progress.

• April 2023: PRFO raises $2.1 million for pool project.

• July 2023: Pool update highlights some “unforeseen conditions” — difficult soils, and an unexpected underground tank. Opening date moved to “late 2024.”

• August 2023: Piedmont Beautification Foundation launches matching fund grant for sustainable pool landscaping.

• September 2023: Another milestone met — concrete sprayed on site. City says completion still expected in 2024.

• October 2023: City Council approves loan from East Bay Community Energy to enable full electrification of pool.

• December 2023: City Council votes to boost pool budget, now at nearly $30 million. In the name of keeping the project moving forward and ready for further unexpected costs, the Council voted to take $1 million from the city’s Facilities Capital Fund in order to fortify the pool’s construction and contingency budgets.

• December 2023: Another milestone: concrete slab set for the pool building. The expected completion date is now cited as October 2024, according to the city.

• January 2024: City marks another milestone with beam signing ceremony. Members of the City Council, Pool Advisory Committee, Bond Oversight Committee, student athletes, and donors gathered to sign the top beam before it’s placed on the structure, a longstanding construction industry tradition.

• March 2024: Pool opening date is now TBD as construction continues. The original timeline has been amended over time due to rain and other complications, including the removal of buried fuel tanks and related contaminated soils that required permitting and coordination with Alameda County Environmental Health, according to the city’s update to Council.

• June 2024: Pool construction moves into final phase, but construction managers warn of unforeseen conditions that could still add additional costs, time to the project.

• July 2024: City Council approves an additional $2.1 million for the project. Construction delays related to underground fuel tanks, delays with PG&E, and weather (plus the discovery of an underground spring) have increased costs all around, city staff and the project managers said, necessitating additional contingency funds.

• September 2024: PG&E cited as roadblock to construction progress and project managers say they are also keeping tabs on the Mountain View pool — hampered by long delays in its commissioning phase — to inform the Piedmont project.

• December 2024: City Council approves an additional $2.8 million for the project. The funds will come primarily from the city’s Facilities Capital Fund, the city said. This action brings the total project cost to $34.9 million.

• February 2025: Citing weather, city backs away from pool completion date; solicits feedback from community on a pool pass model

• March 2025: Rain cited again as reason for construction delays. The city said that as of Feb. 28, construction was estimated at 86% complete, and said several periods of heavy rain throughout the winter had affected site conditions.

• May 2025: City Council approves annual pass and drop-in fees for pool. The community pool pass model includes a 15% increase over 2019 base rates and a 40% non-resident pool pass premium, along with a proposed drop-in fee structure. Under this model, a yearly resident family pass will cost $1,337; a non-resident family pass will cost $1,872. (See chart below for full fee structure.)

• June 2025: PHS water sports take a hit with pool delay. The lack of a local pool — athletes have had to travel to either Laney College or Berkeley High School for practices since 2021 when the pool closed — played a role in the decline, according to feedback from families and coaches. 

• August 2025: Pool opening date still TBD even as project edges closer to completion. The so-called commissioning period could take months, project managers warn. The city of Mountain View and their all-electric pool project took three years to open to the public.

• September 2025: Pool Bond Oversight Committee wraps up work. The Committee said it was satisfied that the bond proceeds used by the city, now fully spent, were properly used for the pool construction.

• September 2025: Pools are filled with water as another construction milestone is met.

• October 2025: PRD posts job listings for the new Piedmont Community Pool that include positions for lifeguards, swim instructors and more.

• November 2025: City says commissioning continues, no opening date yet.

• December 2025: Equipment problems slow pool commissioning process.