Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parks Aquatics topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council directs $325,014 appropriation to repair Hanford Plunge; debate on reserve balance and long‑term plan
Summary
City staff asked for $237,600 to fix critical and slide‑pool problems at the Hanford Plunge; council directed staff to appropriate $325,014 from the capital reserve, leaving roughly $100,000 in the plunge reserve and asking staff to return with mid‑cycle operating options and long‑term planning for an aquatic center.
City staff told the Hanford City Council on Sept. 16 that the Plunge, the city’s only public pool, experienced a late‑season closure in 2024 for circulation‑pump and slide‑pool repairs and that repairs and upgrades through a combined critical/mechanical/slide work program would cost about $425,014 in total.
Parks director Brad Albert told council the immediate need is to repair critical circulation piping (already in progress) and to complete slide‑pool and mechanical repairs required by state amusement‑ride inspectors; the total request brought to council that evening was $237,600 to begin repairs and restore the facility for the 2026 season. Albert said the pool drew about 5,500 visits in the last summer season, ran 57 days with roughly 96 people a day on average, and produced about $46,000 in summer revenue. He also said the city carries a plunge capital reserve of $187,414.
Council members discussed options for covering the cost and for preserving a cushion in the capital reserve. Members proposed leaving $100,000 in the capital reserve rather than exhausting it. Staff recomputed the appropriation request so that, with the remaining reserve balance carried at $100,000, the city would advance $325,014 into the Plunge capital account to cover the needed repairs at this time.
Council members raised longer‑range questions about rehabilitation versus replacement: Albert said a full set of the mechanical and slide repairs combined with replastering could extend the facility roughly 10 years. Council members suggested exploring ongoing maintenance staffing (a part‑time aquatics maintenance technician estimated at about $40,000 a year), potential year‑round operation if the heating system and covers are upgraded, and whether new capital projects (including a possible new aquatic center) should be added to the city’s 10‑year plan and Measure H discussions.
After public comment in favor from regular users and parents, council voted to appropriate $325,014 and to preserve the $100,000 reserve cushion. The motion passed 5‑0. Council directed staff to return mid‑cycle with operating and maintenance funding proposals and to launch public engagement about longer‑range options for the Plunge and aquatics programming.
