SHAFTER, Calif. (KERO) — According to Shafter Public Works Manager Mike James, the Aquatics Center building's realistic completion timeline is around March of 2026, with the center likely opening to the public by Summer.
- James said Public Works requested approximately $630,000 from the City's General Fund to replenish a similar amount of Federal ARPA funding, which had an expiration date ending in 2024, that was used for a different project in Shafter so that funding didn't expire.
- James also noted that when the city put the building project out to bid, the project received none. The City then contracted with the same builder that was awarded the Shafter PD Gossamer Grove Substation and City Services building.
- While the building is slated to be completed in March 2025, James said the pool will likely be ready for the public by summer of next year.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
It's been over a year since we started talking about the Shafter Aquatic Center, I'm Sam Hoyle your neighborhood reporter, and after last week's city council meeting, we're getting a better idea of when Shafter residents will be able to dive into the Shafter Aquatic Center's pool to cool off.
"A realistic completion scenario, is February, March of next year," said Shafter Public Works Director Mike James.
As we've discussed, this project has seen a variety of changes, the most recent one, being where part of the funding for this project is coming from.
"Originally, approximately $700,000 was committed to this project behind me. But because that funding was federal money that had an expenditure deadline of last December, we had to allocate that to another project, which is a soccer field lighting at Veterans Park, which was completed last year," said James.
Part of the process for the building is sending the scope of the project to bid to contractors, however, when the project went out to bid, the city heard next to nothing. James says from his conversations this project came at the wrong time. As a result, the city was able to seek out a contract on its own, and James said it made sense for the city to contract with the builder that's working on another project for the city, that being the Shafter Police Department Substation and City Services building.
"Our plan of attack was to first contact the contractor that was awarded the police substation project that specializes in modular building construction, which this project behind me was designed to require," said James.
In an effort to hear from Shafter residents who were familiar with the Shafter Stingray's youth swim program, I came across a handful of people who remember the pool from years ago.
Cassandra Reid commented, "The highlight of that pool was always its day/night swims for the community to get together with their families & friends growing up," and she hopes to see the pool open so kids now can make memories there.
Daniel Plaza said, "This pool needs to get finished it was one of my childhood favorites. Hopefully my youngest will get to enjoy swimming for PE."
Lucy Santana added that her sons took swimming lessons at the Shafter Aquatic Center and she hopes that the pool opens soon, along with swim lessons.
So is it the best news? No, that would be, hey you can jump in this pool as we make our way into the dog days of summer, but after one more summer, we can finally yell cannonball next summer. In Shafter, I'm Sam Hoyle, your neighborhood reporter.
Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere:
