Get excited, Piedmont! The big grand opening of our new community pool is just around the corner and I got an exclusive preview and behind the scenes tour of this amazing facility.
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From a Piedmont native, Emmy award-winning television journalist-turned-home matchmaker, part-time radio anchor, UCLA graduate, wife and mother of 3.
WHEN WILL THE NEW PIEDMONT POOL OPEN?
One of the questions I get asked the most is, when will the new Piedmont Community Pool open? Well, today we’re going to get some answers.
Chelle Putzer: This will be the deck and right out here. This will be where the activity pool is. Chelle Putzer: People have waited so long. I’m looking forward to the grand opening and to celebrating with the community.
Lisa Carnazzo: And when will that celebration happen?
Echa Schneider: We are looking forward to a spring 2025 opening.
CONSTRUCTION ALMOST FINISHED
Lisa Carnazzo: Construction will finish in late December or early January. Then, this will transition from a construction site to an operational aquatic facility.
Echa Schneider: We are in the home stretch starting in July. You’re going to see most of the visible construction activity shift outside.
PIEDMONT POOL DELAYS
Lisa Carnazzo: The original pool shut down in March of 2020 during Covid. Construction started about three years later. There have been some delays due to unfavorable weather and the discovery of two underground fuel tanks, but now the pool is in the final phase of construction.
Chelle Putzer: So we’re pretty excited. So one of our first big tasks is to hire the new recreation supervisor, who will be in charge of aquatics, and that person we hope to have come on in August. That’s a really key hire.
WHO GETS TO USE THE PIEDMONT POOL?
Lisa Carnazzo: The next big project for the Pool Advisory Committee, once the supervisor is hired, is to look at the pool pass model and determine what a family, senior, or youth pass will cost. There will also be a day pass option.
Chelle Putzer: The new pool will have twice as much water, about 10,000 square feet of water. It will have two pools. One of them will be a competition pool and then an activity pool. It will be able to support swimming, water polo and diving. We’ll also have two one-meter boards for diving. So we’ll be able to add that as an opportunity for people to learn, which is pretty exciting. But also, there’ll be electronic timing systems and scoring systems, as well as a big electronic scoreboard. That’s probably about 14 ft.
Lisa Carnazzo: So I have two kiddos who are on the Piedmont Swim Team who are dying to know how will you determine who gets use of the pool?
Chelle Putzer: We did an initial operational analysis and really looked at all the different user groups. We’re looking forward to working with those groups once we get our staff on board, so we can start to set those schedules.
Chelle Putzer: So this will have large glass doors that open up to the side, and then you’ll come right out to the pool deck. So this will have nice refrigerator countertops so you can put your birthday cakes and pizzas and stuff there. Then kids can come out and be right at this activity pool.
Lisa Carnazzo: The pool’s construction and design cost $29 million, thanks mostly to Measure UU and community donations.
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