The City of Walnut Creek (City) is requesting $67,000 in County Park Dedication funds to help fund improvements to the Larkey Park Swim Center located at 2771 Buena Vista Avenue in Walnut Creek. The City intends to improve the Swim Center by renovating the 40-year old pool to meet the current health and safety code standards so that it may serve the community's aquatic needs for many years. In addition to renovating the pool, the City has approved the construction of a splash pad. The splash pad will replace the existing "baby pool" which has limited uses. According to the City, the splash pad will provide many more opportunities to a wider age range of children to help maintain active bodies and minds, especially in motor skills and coordination, muscular strength, cognitive and sensorial learning, and agility and reflexes. According to child development specialists, splash-pad interaction helps children to develop socially, giving them the tools to cope with stress and the means to actively solve problems. Cross-generation play is achieved through age-appropriate sections or "bays" allowing every member of the family to benefit from quality interactions.
The total project is estimated to cost $4.83 million: $600,000 for construction of the splash pad and $4.23 million to renovate the pool. Funding for the planned improvements come from a variety of sources including: City Measure WW ($2.24 million), City In Lieu Park Fees ($1.87 million), City General Fund ($153,000), and community donations ($500,000). Funding from the County will permit the proposed improvements to be completed all at once without any significant reductions in the scope of the project. The time line submitted by the City shows construction beginning in September 2015. Construction is expected to be completed in June 2017. The improvements will be maintained by the City.
It is the policy of the County to utilize County park dedication funds to meet local and regional park needs. The renovated Larkey Park Swim Center will serve not only the local community, including residents of the unincorporated County, but will provide a fun place to exercise and socialize in the summer for the whole region.
Without the allocation of park dedication funds, the City would not have the resources to complete the entire scope of the proposed project.
The proposed improvements to the Larkey Swim Center support the following community outcome established in the Children's Report Card: Communities that are safe and provide a high quality of life for children and their families.