More than a year after parts for the future Paso Robles Aquatic Center were purchased, the equipment remains in storage and students at Paso Robles High School will return to class this week without a new pool complex.
Paso Robles Joint Unified School District Superintendent Curt Dubost says that equipment will remain locked up until the district can come up with a solution to the high cost of construction.
Plans for the Aquatic Center were put on hold around the beginning of the year after construction bids came back nearly $5 million over budget.
Dubost says a recently-approved three-member subcommittee tasked with reviewing funding for other school district projects could help identify additional money for the Aquatic Center.
He says he’ll use the information gathered by this new committee to come up with recommendations he hopes to present to the school board in about six months.
Another important factor in re-organizing the master plan for these pools, Dubost says, is finding partners that will help fund or share the high cost of heating and maintenance the center would require.
The school district has $5.7 million allocated for the project through Measure M funds. Construction bids for the pools came in at more than $10 million.
Dubost adds that the warranty for the pool equipment has yet to kick in.
