In Piedmont, a long-anticipated event will soon take place at 777 Magnolia Ave.: the city’s unveiling of its new community pool.
On Saturday, the doors to a facility years in the making will officially open to the public. The project — featuring two temperature-controlled pools, a rooftop pavilion and no shortage of amenities — represents a rare major public construction effort in the city.
“It’s the first new facility we’ve built in many decades,” said Echa Schneider, the city of Piedmont’s communications officer. “I mean, I’m sitting here in our City Hall — this building is from 1911. Most of our public facilities are about 100 years old, so it’s a very exciting moment for the city.”
The previous pool had become increasingly inoperable, Schneider said, citing an ongoing leak, routine equipment failures and staff having to search eBay for replacement parts that are no longer widely available. In 2020, when pools nationwide temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Piedmont City Council members decided to permanently close the city’s aging pool too.
“It would have taken a substantial capital investment to reopen it and extend its life, even for a few more years,” explained Schneider.
To fund the construction of a new community pool, a bond measure (Measure UU) appeared on the November 2020 ballot. Piedmont residents actively campaigned for the measure, even going door-to-door to encourage local citizens to vote in favor of it.
“It was the first capital bond measure that, as a city, we have passed in a long time,” Schneider said.
Subsequent years involved intricate planning for the new pool, including soliciting residents’ perspectives on the facility’s design; the securing of additional funding and ultimately the pool’s construction, an extensive effort that got underway in 2023.
What the old pool lacked, the new pool accommodates. It has twice the old pool’s water surface area, with two separate, neighboring spaces: an activity pool and a competitive pool. The latter can host official swim and water polo meets, now up to regulation standards for both sports, whereas the previous pool was not.
“The old pool was undersized for the community aquatic needs, so we had a lot of competition between user groups,” said Schneider. “Now there’s more opportunity for everyone to be able to enjoy the pool at the same time.”
A key aspect of the pool’s design is the consideration of myriad ages and interests of those who will use it, whether for lap swimming, aqua fitness or just wanting to take a dip in the water.
“It was very important to the (City) Council to preserve those core aquatic functions that would allow all types of swimmers to be able to use the pool,” Schneider said. “It’s for everybody in the community and very much designed to meet all of those different needs.”
In “Inside the New Community Pool,” a video posted on the city of Piedmont’s website (bit.ly/piedpoolvid1), Paula Cooper-Tipton, the city’s aquatics recreation supervisor, and Hadley Clegg, its aquatics recreation coordinator, offer a walk-through of the facility.
Among its many features are a family poolside room, a grassy area with Adirondack chairs and umbrellas, two diving boards, lap lanes, a scoreboard for sports meets and movie nights and a station for sweet treats.
Another key feature is the pool’s use of electricity for all of its functions, including heating, filtration and circulation. Only one other municipal pool in the United States preceded Piedmont in implementing this all-electric system: the Rengstorff Park Aquatics Center in Mountain View.
“The old pool was the single largest source of municipal greenhouse gas emissions [in Piedmont], so it’s really our biggest opportunity as a city to reduce our own organizational carbon footprint,” Schneider said.
Other Bay Area cities have since followed suit, with multiple all-electric pools currently under construction throughout the region.
“We’re very proud to have been a leader in this area and in adopting green technology for our aquatic facility,” she said.
In the video “Piedmont Community Pool Update: Commissioning Progress and What’s Next” (bit.ly/piedpoolvid2) Piedmont city administrator Rosanna Bayon Moore describes the all-electric pool as “a major community investment.”
“[It’s] built for safety, sustainability and longevity,” she comments, adding, “When you see the site up close, I think you’ll agree that it’s worth the wait.”
From this Saturday through April 30, Piedmont residents and nonresidents can buy a “drop-in” daily pass to the pool for the discounted price of $5. From there, they can decide if they want to purchase an annual or summer pass or continue with drop-in passes.
“There’s no rush — passes will continue to be available,” Schneider emphasized.
On opening day, the Piedmont Community Pool will welcome the public with open swim hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., giving visitors their first chance to explore the long-awaited facility.
“We’re trying to keep it casual, but hopefully with a few surprises planned to make it feel a little special,” Schneider said.
A larger event — the “Summer Kickoff Community Celebration” — is planned for Memorial Day weekend, but the inaugural day is focused on giving the community ample time to experience the space.
“We really just want people to come in, get in the water, and see what they made happen,” she said. “We think they’re going to be really happy when they walk in the door.”
JL Odom is a freelance journalist based in San Francisco who can be reached at jlodomphd@gmail.com. When they’re not covering the Bay Area, they’re usually training for their next marathon.
April Piedmont Community Pool hours
Saturday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday through April 30: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays; 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays with a midday closure from 1 to 3 p.m. (1 to 2:30 p.m. Wednesdays); and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays.
For program offerings, pool passes and facility rentals, visit the online aquatics registration portal at rec.us/organizations/city-of-piedmont. For a brochure detailing pool pass options and pricing, go online to bit.ly/piedpoolpassinfo.