Yreka City Council to Discuss $12.8 Million Pool Project
A proposal for the replacement of the abandoned Ringe Pool in Yreka calls for an eight-lane lap pool and other features. The city has not yet identified a funding source for the project.
Yreka’s future public swimming pool is on the agenda for the City Council’s upcoming meeting. But don’t expect the shovels to start digging anytime soon.
Perhaps the most important line in the city’s staff report outlining the project reads, “the path forward will require a grant… this pathway may take years.”
When the council meets Feb. 4 it will review a proposed restoration plan for the long-neglected — and currently defunct — Ringe Pool on Knapp Street. An architectural design and engineering study places the replacement pool complex at $12.8 million, and calls for a two-section pool which includes an eight-lane, 25-yard lap pool and a “wading area” for young children. Also in the plan are external lockers and showers, lifeguard stands and a splash pad.
The council could accept this plan outright, or seek modifications which may reduce its pricetag. In short, this is a starting point. What the city’s staff report also alludes to are the other “commitments that prioritize other projects above Ringe Pool.” These would almost certainly include the need for a new fire station, projected to cost about $20 million. Voters recently approved a new 1 percent sales tax to be applied toward that project and upgrading the fire department with paid staffing.
The pool issue in Yreka is not new. In 2022 the city considered a plan to develop a new “aquatic center” near the YMCA on Foothill Drive. The project was awarded an $8.5 million state grant for the construction phase. Imprecise cost estimates and the public’s general opposition to the location ultimately sunk the proposal, with the city returning the grant money. The state’s grant guidelines did not allow for the redevelopment of Ringe Pool.
The conversation on Tuesday will almost surely revolve around the many cost considerations involved in developing a new city swimming complex. The actual cost of demolishing the old pool, and building another is only one side of the equation. The other side, which involves the cost of annual operations and maintenance, is more nuanced and less specific. Expect a number of questions to revolve around this issue.
However, this is a project that is sure to engage residents, with many who have identified a public pool as a central feature of what they expect from a municipal parks and recreation program.
“Swimming competitively all summer and every summer for years was the highlight of growing up,” wrote Kara Dancer on the city’s Facebook page announcing the council’s discussion of this project. “It kept kids outside, in shape, and interacting with friends. Swim team getting cut my senior year was sooo heart breaking. I would LOVE to see the city pool make a come back.”
Other commenters lamented that the design did not propose an indoor pool, which could be used all year. Others kept their comments to cost, and questions around affordability.
Expect to hear these thoughts and more at the upcoming council meeting. The discussion will begin about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the council chambers. It can also be live-streamed on the city’s YouTube page.