Though a Request for Proposal (RFP) on Peninsula YMCA’s bid to construct and operate a new pool at NTC Liberty Station is stalled, the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) board recently passed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that could help clear the way for the YMCA to develop a pool in Point Loma and elsewhere.
Earlier this year, the city issued an RFP for an organization to come in and develop, operate and lease out the proposed 20,000-square-foot aquatic center in Building 619 in NTC (the former Naval Training Center), which was previously a child-care center. The San Diego County YMCA, which operates about 29 pools countywide, was the only responder to the RFP.
It had originally been thought that SDUSD and the YMCA might compete for the RFP to build/operate a new NTC pool. The MOU now essentially makes it a joint venture.
The MOU signed between the school district and YMCA establishes the framework for implementing the development of pool and recreational facilities at a dozen or more identified sites/school clusters citywide including NTC Liberty Station.
The district and the YMCA anticipate conducting site visits within 90 days of executing the MOU.
The new MOU is a step forward, but problems remain with long-term lease conditions, said Vince Glorioso, executive director of the Peninsula YMCA.
“Problems with terms of the lease really have it on hold right now,” said Glorioso, adding the the NTC building where the pool would be built is federally owned, which complicates matters.
“Terms have to be worked out now with the federal government because they own the property,” Glorioso said. “We need to work with the Department of the Interior to find an avenue to lease the property longer.”
Glorioso said the new MOU with SDUSD to jointly pursue an NTC Pool project “pursues a vision the district has for pools at schools with a list of potential sites.”
The new MOU, said Glorioso, calls for a partnership between the two entities.
“These would now go to individual agreements per site,” he said. “So now the district is determining what (sites) they see as their highest priority, and the YMCA is doing an analysis to determine where pockets of service are deficient, areas that are underserved.”
Because the NTC pool site is federally owned, Glorioso said there’s some question in terms of how this lease would be held.
“It would actually be a concession agreement, not a typical property lease,” he said.
Earlier this year, the YMCA’s proposal was not accepted and deemed non-responsive, and the RFP was canceled, noted Glorioso.
Funding for SDUSD and YMCA to jointly explore creating new pools city- and countywide comes from voter-approved Proposition Z, passed in 2012 to fund capital improvement projects at district-owned schools. In an effort to provide a quality school in every neighborhood, the district is using Proposition Z funds to repair, renovate and revitalize district schools.
Bond projects include classroom technology; safety and security upgrades; Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) upgrades; new/renovated facilities for College, Career and Technical Education facilities; temporary classrooms replaced by permanent classrooms; air conditioning; ADA upgrades and improvements to athletic facilities; turf fields; and other capital improvements at district and charter schools throughout the district.
Currently, the district has only one swimming pool (at La Jolla High School) which was built with private funds. There is a significant need for swimming pool facilities to serve district sports teams as well as for neighborhood recreational uses. In recent years, there have been significant cuts in the operational hours of municipal pools. Pool operations and maintenance require significant ongoing funds, which San Diego Unified does not have and is unlikely to have in the foreseeable future.
The pool RFP states the city is seeking a concessionaire to provide an aquatic center on the former NTC site for the use and benefit of the general public.
The proposed site design calls for an aquatic center complex with a 50-meter pool, a 25-meter instruction pool and a family area with interactive water-play elements. The pool plan also includes locker rooms, offices, restrooms, storage and a concession stand.
RFPs for the proposed new Liberty Station pool were required to include a conceptual plan for the property along with any proposed changes or additions to the existing facilities.
Among other things, proposals had to offer a preliminary site and floor plan; a program plan providing a description of planned programs/activities and/or services, including hours of operation, proposed fees and charges; a financing plan; and assurances that the applicant can provide the necessary fixtures and equipment needed to provide aquatic center services.
Concern has been expressed by some that, regardless of who ultimately builds and operates the new NTC pool, that it would not be big enough. Some have said the pool should be 50 meters, not 25 meters, in order for it to be truly considered a world-class aquatic complex with the capability of hosting competitive events.
The city’s NTC Pool RFP is being handled by the city’s Real Estate Assets Division.