Parks Board Gets Pool Complex Plans

The new Valley Mission pool complex began to take shape last Thursday as architects presented design plans to the county Parks Department’s board of directors.

Plans for the five acres across the road from Valley Mission Park include two pools, locker rooms and fresh landscaping.

Construction of the new pool complex is the first phase in an overhaul that will include a complete reconfiguration of Valley Mission Park.

The planned 75-foot long lap pool will have racing lanes and a “modest” slide. As of now, the plan doesn’t include a diving board, though county officials could choose to add one at a later date if funding permitted.

The 1,600-square-foot wading pool will have three or four water toys and a handicap accessible entry.

Landscaping will include new trees and hills to keep noise from bothering neighboring homeowners. A 10-foot high picket fence will be built around the pools.

The pool building will be made of concrete block with a metal roof. It will include family changing areas and a lifeguard meeting room.

“The pool building is maintenance proof and bullet proof,” said Denny Christenson, president of Denny Christenson and Associates Architects and Interiors, the project’s design firm. He recommended that the county add a little extra money to the $1.3 million budget for skylights and roof ventilation.

“I always advise clients to keep some money in your hip pocket for extras,” Christenson said.

He also suggested the county consider earmarking additional funds for picnic shelters, benches or picnic tables on the grass areas surrounding the pools.

“That way people can use the pool as a total park and they don’t have to cross the street,” he said.

The county plans to install a crosswalk with a pedestrian signal so that people using Valley Mission Park can cross the street easily, but the county Parks Department hopes to create two self-contained parks in the future to minimize travel between the two areas.

Though members of the county parks board had few questions about the plans at Thursday’s meeting, the design team will work with them over the next month to finalize the plans. They hope to have the contract awarded for the pool construction by Nov. 1. The team is also planning a public meeting in September to allow community members to help shape renovation plans for the park across the street.