Community presses Twin Rivers Unified to approve Sunrise bid to reopen Foothill pool; trustees seek clarity on cost and access

Twin Rivers Unified trustees heard strong public support for reopening the Foothill High School pool and focused their questions on price, access and staffing before approving a consent agenda related to the project.

Residents and community groups urged the board to select Sunrise Recreation and Park District. "Number one, we need to have the pool open this summer," Nancy Dexter, president of the Foothill High School Alumni Association, told the board, adding that Sunrise "are the most qualified and the most thoroughly trained" to staff the facility. Carol Watts of the Foothill Farms Neighborhood Association said Sunrise would create jobs for local students and called the pool "a great resource for our children."

Sunrise representatives explained elements of their proposal and emphasized optional revenue ideas. "We threw that out there because we knew that the students and the administrators and the families of the Twin Rivers School District would be obviously paying 0 to enter the facility," said Kevin Donnelly, who represented Sunrise, describing a proposed $5 nonstudent fee as a recommendation mirrored from another pool and not a required charge. He added the district could decide not to charge anyone.

Trustees pressed staff and bidders on costs and equity. A trustee asked whether the $272,000 figure in Sunrise's proposal reflected one-time startup expenses for equipment and higher staffing; staff and Sunrise confirmed the proposal includes one-time purchases because the Foothill facility lacks guard chairs, rescue tubes and other safety items. Sunrise said some revenue ideas—weekend pool rentals, swim championships and nonpublic swim events—could add about $20,000 in revenue, with an illustrative 85/15 split that would return roughly 15% to the district.

Trustees also raised concerns about whether proposal notifications and evaluation criteria had been handled fairly between local park districts. Staff explained the RFP used a best-value evaluation and said bids were public; evaluation weighting can be adjusted for future years but cannot be retroactively changed for this solicitation.

The board sought clarity on training costs. Trustees noted a line in the proposal referencing a $200 American Red Cross lifeguard certification fee. Sunrise and staff responded that the $200 is the Red Cross charge for staff certification and that "the student will not be paying $200," adding the district can provide free lifeguard training to its students as promised in the RFP.

Sunrise detailed staffing and capacity assumptions. The proposal budgets for up to 11 lifeguards, one front-desk staffer and one pool manager at maximum utilization; staff said the pool's maximum capacity is 540 and that proposed staffing is a ceiling for full-capacity days, with the operator able to pull staff off duty if patron levels are lower.

The meeting also featured sharp criticism of social media attacks on trustees. Multiple trustees condemned online posts that they said were aimed at board members asking legitimate questions about fiscal responsibility and equity. "This bullying... has got to stop," one trustee said, urging the community to focus on students' needs.

Procedural action at the end of the meeting: Trustee Bastian moved and Trustee Baker seconded approval of the consent agenda; the motion carried after recorded votes with one trustee opposed.

What happens next: Staff and Sunrise said they can negotiate operational terms if the board approves a vendor and will return to the board with any negotiated changes. The district scheduled its next regular meeting for Tuesday, April 8 at 6 p.m.