Q: How much private funding is needed from the Community?

A: The Los Altos Community Pool Foundation's goal is to raise $4.8M in cash and pledges by March 31, 2008 to leverage the $3.2M already committed by the City of Los Altos.  We are doing so by securing $600,000 sponsorships of each of the eight lanes in the pool.  Groups leading the lane campaigns include:  the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Covington Critters Swim Team, the Los Altos Master Swimmers, and the Los Altos Business Community.  If you would like to support one of the lane campaigns, or start one of your own, email info@losaltoscommunitypool.org.

Q: Why doesn’t the city fund a new pool?

A: Los Altos residents enjoy a host of benefits that make our community attractive, but we do not enjoy an industrial tax base or a surplus of public land.  There are only 30 acres of park space in our City and 95 acres on our school campuses.

Q: Are my donations tax deductible?

A: Yes, the Los Altos Community Pool Foundation is a California registered 501(c)3 non-profit community benefit organization dedicated to promoting and providing a public swimming pool facility for the Los Altos community.  The organization is currently raising capital funds for the construction of the Los Altos Community Pool.

Q: How can I donate?

A: The Los Altos Community Pool Foundation accepts donations by cash, check, or credit card payable to Los Altos Community Pool Foundation or transfer of stock.  Refer to the pledge/donation form for details. 

Q: Can I make a pledge and pay in 2008?

A: Yes, the Los Altos Community Pool Foundation is accepting pledges for multiple year donations.  All pledges for 2007 must be paid by March of 2008.  Refer to the pledge/donation form for how to make a pledge.

Q: Can I redirect my donation if the pool is not built?

A: Yes, the Los Altos Community Pool Foundation will allow you to redirect your donation upon written notice, if the pool is not built. 

Q: What is the mission of the Los Altos Community Pool Foundation?

A: The Los Altos Community Pool Foundation is a community group that is working with the City of Los Altos to design and build  a new community pool for Los Altos.  The LACPF is made up of Los Altos and Los Altos Hills residents who want to provide additional recreation facilities for our extended community.

Q: Who can answer questions about the pool project?

A: The Los Altos Community Pool Foundation welcomes your participation and feedback. Send an email to the Los Altos Community Pool. The appropriate City of Los Altos contact is the Public Works Department.

Q: Who built the original Covington Pool?

A: The Covington pool was built in 1947 as a joint project between the City and the Los Altos Elementary School District. The funds to build the original pool were provided by private donations from the Los Altos community.  LASD provided land on the campus of Covington School, which at that time was junior high school.

Q: What happened to the original Covington Pool?

A: Covington Junior High was closed in 1980 and in 2001, the pool was demolished as part of the Covington School renovation and reopening as a LASD elementary school.  After 54 years the pool required significant repairs and it was determined by the city council that a new pool would better serve the Los Altos Community.

Q: Who was using the Covington Pool before it closed?

A: Many of our current community members grew up swimming in the Covington Pool.  When it closed in 2000, there were over 600 children enrolled in summer swim lessons (77% Los Altos residents), the Covington yearly and summer (youth) Swim Team was over 200 swimmers (80% Los Altos residents), the Los Altos Masters swim club had 200 members, and various other organizations who took advantage of available pool time, including those providing kayak and SCUBA lessons.

Q: What happened to the Covington-based programs?

A: The programs for learning to swim, recreational swimming and water sports are no longer available in Los Altos.  Covington Swim Team, the Los Altos summer youth swim club, has found practice time at various neighboring high school pools for the past 7 summers. Los Altos Masters offers a program at pools in neighboring Los Altos towns.

Q: Who is Los Altos Masters (LAM) and how are they involved?

A: Los Altos Master is an adult swim club affilßiated with US Masters Swimming. LAM has continued its program at a temporary location until the Los Altos Community Pool is completed.  The LAM program was started in 1987 and conducted workouts daily at the Covington Pool until it closed in 2001.  This group of over 150 swimmers looks forward to the opening of the new community pool.

Q: How was Rosita Park selected as a pool site?

A: In 2000, City Council earmarked land on the Covington campus for a swimming pool, when the city and LASD entered into a land lease swap to create more recreation facilities in Los Altos.  The City and the School District made a creative, historic decision to combine their maintenance facilities at McKenzie Park. The City is leasing to the School District space at McKenzie Park for its maintenance needs and the District is swapping land for public recreational use adjacent to Rosita Park. This decision was welcomed both by the McKenzie Park neighborhood and by Covington Mini-Park neighbors. The land lease swap was a big win for Los Altos, because it resulted in a net gain in recreation space for our community.

Q: Will this pool have a huge impact on the Rosita neighborhood?

A: Rosita neighbors are in a good position to gauge the impact because they had Covington Pool as a neighbor for 47 years.  While the new pool will be larger to accommodate the significantly greater population of Los Altos, the daily schedule should be similar. In addition, the park will continue to provide facilities for other activities including soccer and baseball.  An Environmental Impact Study (commonly known as an EIR) was started in July 2003 and certified in December 2004.

Q: When will this pool be built?

A: The Los Altos City Council approved the final design in February 2007 and the pool is expected to be completed in 2009.

Q: Will the Community Pool be larger than the Covington Pool?

A: Yes, it will be somewhat larger as noted above in order to accommodate the significantly greater population of Los Altos. A larger pool is necessary to provide all the kids swimming programs that Los Altos citizens demand. During the last year of lobbying to City officials, Los Altos citizens made it clear that they wanted greater access to family open swimming than was available at Covington. It takes a larger facility than Covington Pool to meet the requirements of our own community.

Q: When were the neighborhood concerns resolved?

A: Following the CEQA environmental study in 2001, City Council voted to move forward with the pool project. A neighborhood group called the Rosita Neighborhood Coalition sued the City requesting an Environmental Impact Study (often called an EIR). The City completed the EIR in December 2004 and the lawsuit was officially dismissed in August 2005. Representatives from Rosita Neighborhood Coalition participated and approved the final design of the Community Pool.

Q: How can the public review the EIR?

A: The Final EIR is available on the City of Los Altos web site. Note: This is a large PDF.