Community Swimming Pool: Turner Construction Misses Deadline for Opening Day

Community Pool Fails Health Inspection

Opening Delayed Again

Emeryville's community swimming pool, plagued by missed deadlines and cost overruns will not open today as had been planned owing to a "failed health code inspection" and other delays by builder Turner Construction according to the City Manager.  Today's planned grand opening gala of the community pool has quietly now come and gone with nary a wet toe and without a peep to the community from the City or the School District as to an explanation other than individual emails sent to parents and community members that had signed up for lessons and general use.  The City now says it is hoped the pool will be ready by early June but they're not committing.

City Manager Carolyn Lehr told the Tattler the City will honor agreements as codified by policy at City Hall as far as refunding any fees paid by community members that cannot be used.  Additionally she volunteered that any new costs associated with the most recent delays will be born by "responsible parties" as a way of differentiating previous cost overruns that have been absorbed by Emeryville taxpayers up until now.

Emeryville's Community Pool
Taken before the remodel began
several years ago.

The community pool remodel has proven to be a first rate boondoggle for the City and the School District with costs more than 100% over budget and a timeline now more than a year behind schedule.  The pool, part of the community use part of the Emeryville Center of 'Community' Life (ECCL) was separated out of a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) agreement for ECCL between the School District, the City and Turner Construction, set up to prevent this sort of overrun.  The fact that the pool was not included in the GMP agreement has left taxpayers exposed to Turner cupidity as the builder seeks a way to recoup losses incurred on the rest of the project, critics have charged.  As protective of the public coffers as the GMP has been (insofar as it has), the agreement does not preclude Turner from clawing back their expenses by lowering quality on the rest of the ECCL project, a tactic they call 'Value Engineering', a tactic they have made liberal use of it should be noted.

Besides being more than a year late, Emeryville's community pool remodel has now cost more than $2 million; double what a pool the same size would cost built new, according to swimming pool contractors the Tattler contacted.  The Emery Unified School District has been the public agency responsible for overseeing the community pool with the City fulfilling its role as benefactor for the ill fated project.