Fallbrook trustees reopen debate on replacing 50‑year‑old pool as state funding nears

The Fallbrook Union High School District Board of Trustees spent a substantial portion of its Nov. 19 meeting discussing plans to replace the district’s aging pool, which staff said is roughly 50 years old and beyond routine repairs.

Superintendent Ilsa Garza Gonzales summarized past planning work and two schematic options developed in 2023: Option 1 would replace the pool in its existing footprint (requiring the pool to be taken out of service during construction) and Option 2 would place a new pool at an alternate site behind the tennis courts so the existing pool could remain operational during construction. Garza Gonzales provided rough, escalated cost estimates using a 3% annual CPI uplift on the 2023 figures: Option 1 around $13,183,751 and Option 2 about $15,959,277.80 in 2026 dollars. She emphasized these are preliminary, “very raw calculations” and that some site-specific construction components could rise faster than the CPI.

Garza Gonzales also outlined likely funding sources. She said the district is expected to receive roughly $7,791,571 in state facilities funding in mid‑2026 and a separate $1,000,000 hardship allocation (for pool/deck work) around December 2027; remaining modernization reimbursements currently on the district’s list total about $20,961,095 but likely arrive later. She noted that for larger sums the district would need to pursue additional bonds, grants or private fundraising and cautioned that state bond funds (referred to during the meeting as ‘‘Prop A’’) could be allocated to other statewide needs.

Board members raised concerns about shutting down the pool for an extended period. Several trustees warned that closing Fallbrook’s only large community pool for two or more years would disrupt youth aquatics programs, leased programs such as FAST, and community use. Trustees also discussed the potential advantages of Option 2 despite higher cost—chiefly, keeping programs running during construction and providing new boys’ and girls’ locker rooms—while noting unknown subsurface conditions at alternate sites could substantially raise costs.

Trustees and staff explored intermediate steps: pursuing additional grant opportunities, working with the newly formed Fallbrook Union High School Education Foundation for private fundraising, and evaluating whether a smaller, targeted bond in a future election (for example 2026 or 2028) might improve the district’s chances of obtaining community support. One trustee urged clearer, more explicit language on future bond measures to tie funds directly to the aquatics project, noting past voter skepticism when projects were grouped.

Next steps identified by trustees included updated cost estimates from bond consultants and engineers, a possible loan or bridge-financing analysis, and additional outreach or fact-finding to clarify viable alternate pool sites and contingency allowances for unforeseen underground conditions. The board left the conversation open for further study and asked staff to return with more precise budget and financing scenarios at a future meeting.