Where are we in the process?

ATASCADERO — The last time anyone had a swim in the Atascadero High School (AHS) pool was on Oct. 21, 2022. Since then, Wysong Construction has been busy building a brand new pool and pool facilities at the school’s campus. Even though there isn’t a set date for when the pool will reopen, it’s looking like AHS could very well be welcoming students back into the water by the New Year.

The pool’s build, which hasn’t always gone swimmingly, was affected by the Atmospheric River that hit Atascadero back in early January of this year. 

“The rains did us no favors, although they did us a ton of favors,” said Atascadero Unified School District Facilities Director Brant Lloyd. “We were in the middle of excavating the pool site, so obviously, that comes with a lot of mud, and so when it rained hard, that pushed us back. But the site is built on rock, so it didn’t get terribly muddy. It was pretty easy to pump out the water and get going again after it dried up.” 

He added that construction got knocked back by about four weeks and that the rains also presented a challenge where grading was concerned. But once things dried up, they got back on track. 

The community is excited to see a finished pool, and it will be a blessing to once again get back in the water on school grounds. Currently, water polo is back in session, and AHS athletes are having to drive to San Luis Obispo and use Sinsheimer Pool for their practices.

“You have programs in school that are dependent upon it [the pool],” Lloyd said. “You know, they do teach P.E. units involving swimming. Then, of course, we’ve got our water polo program and our swim program.”

As of Tuesday, Sept. 5, construction is headed in the direction for the pool to be completed on schedule. The pool has been dug, and it has been built back up. The concrete bottom has been poured, and it’s intended that the sides of the pool will go in in the next couple of weeks. 

“So we’re just about to get to the sides,” Lloyd said. “We have a section of the pool deck that’s going to go in just directly below the bleachers. The bleachers are going to show up the week after next. So we’re going to be ready to install the bleachers.”

Lloyd also stated that the Masonry building that will host the pool equipment, pool-related chemicals needing storage, a few restrooms, and a custodial closet is coming out of the ground now. And they’re hoping to roof it next.

“Everything is going along. We’re on schedule to the best of our ability,” Lloyd said.

The Atascadero Unified School District is also currently looking to fill a position for a pool maintenance technician for once the pool is open.

“Once the pool’s built, we need to have somebody to maintain it and keep it rolling,” added Lloyd.

This is a continuing story, and Atascadero News will be back with updates when we have them.

Feature Image: This overhead shot show crews pouring concrete for the bottom of the new Atascadero High School pool. It is hoped that AHS students could be in the pool by the New Year. Contributed Photo