Swimmers push for a larger Burgess pool Swimmers push for a larger Burgess pool (July 30, 2003)

** 50-meter lap pool would be twice the size of the one proposed by Menlo city staff.

By Rebecca Wallace
Almanac Staff Writer

Wide-ranging work in Burgess Park, including a renovated gym and sports fields, and new swimming pools and a skate park, could take a big step forward at the Menlo Park City Council meeting this week.

But judging by the flood of recent e-mails sent to the council, a determined group of local swimmers would like to see a change made first. They'd like the city to include a 50-meter lap pool -- twice the size of the one proposed.

"We see an opportunity to expand the whole aquatic community and have the center as a meeting and drawing place for people who like swimming," said Tim Sheeper, founder and head coach of the Menlo Masters swim team.

E-mails supporting a larger pool have been pouring in from Menlo Masters swimmers to the City Council throughout July.

Mr. Sheeper says his organization's members have raised about a quarter-million dollars to help defray the added construction costs of a larger pool. The group plans to raise $500,000 and would pay annual rent of $100,000 to $150,000 to the city for the use of the pool, he said.

City staff, though, are "strongly" recommending sticking to the original plan, supervising engineer Art Morimoto wrote in a report to the council.

Currently, there are two swimming pools at Burgess: a 100-foot by 50-foot lap pool, and a 500-square-foot activity pool. The existing plan is to build three new pools in their place: a 25-meter by 25-yard lap pool for competitive swimming, a 25-yard by 17-yard instructional pool, and a shallow 1,000-square-foot children's pool.

The design of the new aquatics center has been studied intently, with much opportunity for public input, Mr. Morimoto wrote. Swimmers raised the 50-meter possibility last year, but staff said the annual operating costs could be 40 to 100 percent higher.

Council members Lee Duboc, Mickie Winkler and Paul Collacchi also spoke against the idea last year, with Ms. Duboc raising concerns about added traffic in the Linfield Oaks neighborhood.

If the council on Tuesday approves an architectural study of the pool plan and a report on the entire $17 million Burgess project's possible environmental effects, the pool and locker room project could go to bid next March, and the rest of the Burgess Park project could go to bid this October, Mr. Morimoto wrote.

A new pool design would require new environmental studies and a larger locker room, delaying the process, Mr. Morimoto wrote.

Curtis Brown, Menlo Park's director of community services, also voiced concern that if Menlo Masters supported and moved into a larger pool, the 400-swimmer organization could dominate the community resource.

"It becomes more of a competitive fitness pool versus recreational swim," he said.

Menlo Masters swimmers now practice at Sacred Heart School in Atherton, but the club has expanded, and Mr. Sheeper and the school are trying to work out a way to mesh the schedules of the club and student swimmers.

School officials hope the Sacred Heart student aquatics program will grow, but they would like to have Menlo Masters stay as well, said Beth DeWols, the school's director of development.

Mr. Sheeper said the Menlo Masters could practice partly at Sacred Heart and partly at Burgess. In any event, he said his group would work to fit in at Burgess, where the group swam a few years ago before expanding. About 25 to 50 Menlo Masters swimmers take part in each practice, he said.

"We don't want to take over the pool; we don't want to run the pool. We want to offer our services," he said.

The team has architects who could help move the pool redesign process along quickly, he added.

Menlo Masters swimmer Lorie Sinnott, a member of the city's Planning Commission, said in a July 25 e-mail to the council, "This is the kind of energized, community-building program most Park and Rec departments would dream about."