After all, providing a place for swim teams to practice and host meets was the genesis of the project in the first place. Pools at local high schools are often unavailable for swim team practices and meets, the city has been told repeatedly. The development of swim teams beyond the original Tracy Tritons, as well as increased interest in water polo and possibly even synchronized swimming, add weight to the idea that meeting the needs of those aquatic athletes is an essential element of the water park.
The 52-meter competition pool and a recreational pool with an area for swim lessons are included in the second phase of the project, but there is no funding for the estimated $15 million cost of that second phase.
If the funding were in place and the pools were assured to follow in a few years, it wouldn’t much matter which facility was included in the first or second phase. But it could take years for the second phase to be developed.
In fact, the city’s set-aside aquatics park budget is about $2 million short of the estimated $15 million for the first phase alone. Though there is hope that lower-than-estimated construction bids could make up the difference, that leaves Phase 2 fully unfunded and, possibly, far off in the future.
As envisioned at a recent City Council meeting, the first phase is centered on several water slides. Also included are an appealing lazy river and an interactive water fountain; a shallow activity pool; a play structure with nozzles, fountains and other amenities; and landscaped picnic areas. Both phases were showcased in a virtual-image presentation that architects showed City Council members recently. In total, it’s an attractive water-oriented space.
But what is projected in the first phase is essentially a water-slide park without a swimming pool in sight. If water-slide parks are so popular and such great revenue-generators, why are commercial water slides at Vernalis and Manteca now closed? The city can ill-afford an expensive, unsustainable amenity.
While architects are in the process of tweaking final elements of the plans and before bids are sought, it might be a good time for the city administration and council to step back and take a long, hard look at what the first phase of the water park will include — and not include — to make absolutely certain their priorities make sense.
It would seem that this is an ill considered time for the City of Tracy to be gambling thirty million dollars on the idea of building what amounts to a City-sponsored amusement park.
Perhaps the City should focus staff time and attention on it's core business, efficiently providing municipal services to residents.
Frankly, I lack confidence that current City management has the competence or aptitude to successfully plan and implement a speculative, $30M water park. If they fail, they simply blame it on the economy or consultants or anyone else who looks remotely culpable and they'll look for another highly paid City management position while Tracy City residents will own a very large white elephant.
It's interesting that we entrust individuals that lack any successful entrepreneurial track record with managing a project like this. Even more confounding as to why we pay them as if they actually HAD that kind of expertise.
Anyone want to buy a train station? It's in unused, almost new condition. To increase patronage it is suggested that potential buyers consider relocating the station and try operating it adjacent to tracks that carry passengers.
PG&E owns the natural gas and Chevron owns the crude pipes. You drive over them every day. More on that below.
Anyway, earlier you complained the pool wouldn't be built because your so-called "expert" recommended it should be over 1000 feet away. Now we find out it actually is the distance your so-called "expert" recommended.
If San Bruno had a set back like Ellis, do you think those fires would have spread from home to home? I don't.
But San Bruno had no setback. There is a picture of it on wikipedia showing pieces of the pipe. That pipe is 0 feet from a home. In fact, it's pictured in their own yard. More importantly, PG&E couldn't turn off the gas because they didn't upgrade the shutoff valves and that's why the fire continued to spread from home to home.
We've all known for years that those pipes should include automatic shutoff valves. But, ironically your lawsuit focuses on the distance to the pool, which you admitted is already there. Meaning, you're wasting our time. I think your so-called "expert" mishandled the lawsuit paperwork, AGAIN and now it's just another of your costly delays and a matter of time until it will be tossed too.
Incidently, those same pipes are in the Cosco parking lot. Right beside the gas pumps and under the electric transmission lines. You and eight hundred thousand other people probably parked your SUV over top of them and didn't even know it.
The fanciest water park is already located in Oakland. It's called Jack London Square. And the ferry ride is a hoot.
Another article in todays tracypress.com says there is a demand for pools. Its about Kimball High pools.
It sounds like there will be a rather high demand.
Tracymomplus5,
I suspect you are wrong about the citizen who complained about the easement distance from the pool. Pethaps the citizen you are referring to (whoever it is) purposefully gave you misinformation about the distance the pool will be from the pool?
Perhaps they have a hidden agenda?
They must not live in Tracy, or they would already know this information?
Have you been to San Bruno? There was no easement in San Bruno. No wall, either. The San Bruno pipe was in someone's front yard. If you want, I can post a link to the pictures and you can see for yourself, there was no easement.
As far as the San Bruno comment. It's not very bright to base a lawsuit off something like that. This ain't San Bruno.
But I'd suppose that is how lawyers load their pokets. Look at Winco delays created by lawyers. Come to think of it the media was also very hush hush about that one too. Do they secretly admire the delays?
The real questions are how long will these lawyers delay and how much will they pocket and how long will the media keep a sock in it.
Remember when the rumor went around that Raleys delayed coming because of the lawyers too. We also heard it through the grape vine.
As far as PG&E goes if they should have installed smart pigs so they could have turned off the pressure to the pipes. It's just sad they had to learn their lesson the hard way. There is a legislater who is writing a law that will shutdown pipes without smart pigs. Smart pigs turn off gas to pipes when pressure drops. In San Bruno they had to send someone across town to turn a valve off. Nuts! If you ask me.
As far as phase one build it. They will come.
I want the aquatics park to be built. If that area is deemed to be safe, great! However, the way this city fights with itself and the way certain parties love to bring the city to court to stop progressive growth...it will be a LONG time, if ever. By the way, what's going on with the Holly Sports Complex? Haven't heard about that in a LONG time either.
If you don't trust PGE that's your business, but I think PGE (in the case of San Bruno) was piping natural gas. Are there any natural gas pipelines nearby your home? Most people have them coming right into their homes. For tracymomplus5 to say this park won't be built because homes have natural gas is the pinnacle of stupidity.
The information about the pipelines having a hedge, between the pipelines. Away from Ellis was discussed way back in 2008. Someone sent in a letter to the Tracy Press. I think they tried to sue PGE or something and maybe later found out the pipes are not going through there but around there. At any rate natural gas pipes go to everybody's home. So it is silly to argue if natural pipes go there. Obviously PGE has pipes to every home California. Well, almost every home.
By the way, I think the priorities for phase one make the most sense because people are already using the high school pools. I think the schools need to find a better way to make their pools available.
And I don't think it makes sense to blame phase one for not including competition pools in phase one. When it would benefit more people to have attractive water oriented park. Phase two could have recreational pools when the economy picks up. Makes sense to me.
This is just more of the same.
This idea of attacking the waterslides because of Manteca is also a belly flopper. Because the Manteca water slide was over thirty years old. It closed for the same reason the pool at Dr Powers park closed.
A new pool costs less to maintain than an old pool.
So the lines here in the Ellis area are 1000 feet away? Is there a map that shows where exactly those run throughout our area? If someone mentioned below and I missed it, sorry.
I think the aquatics center will be a good thing. But I do not see it getting done. :(
I can see somebody has been listening to ol lady/man lawsuit again.
But here's the scoop about San Bruno. The pipeline was buried right in front of someone's San Bruno driveway.
While the pipelines you are talking about are not "right through" the subdivision. They are over 1000 feet away.
You're just hung up about an empty field in Shulte. Time to lace up your shoes and move on.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/01/16/MNLB1H7EML.DTL&tsp=1
YEP! Pathetic aint it? This city will fight itself to death.
There isn't anything to renovate anymore.
@newtotracy
I won't use it either. It won't be built for Tracy.
Just take the money and spend it where it needs to go.
Winners do what they need to do, Losers do what they want!
And about the gang problem, I personally do not think the new police chief is tuned in to solving the problem. Coming from a agency in Kansas to California is like moving to a foreign country where you don't speak the language. The chief had admin employees who are better suited at getting a program together but it all has to pass through her. So, for the meantime, all the gang incidents will fall back onto her until a solution to the problem is in place. You know the saying ... "the buck stops here".