The Cupertino Courier
News
Council looks at projects proposed by parks and rec
By Cody Kraatz
The Cupertino City Council got a preview May 15 of the parks and recreation projects it will soon consider for the 2007-08 municipal budget.
Therese Smith, director of parks and recreation, asked for council input on four projects, including the broken fountain at the Quinlan Community Center and a multipurpose sport court at the Cupertino Sports Center to replace a closed swimming pool.
The fountain has been closed since it broke around 2001, and the pool was closed because it is not accessible to people with disabilities.
"You've already made the decision that you didn't want to spend money to re-plumb the fountain," said Smith.
Rather than repair it, which would cost at least $150,000, Smith proposed instead to demolish the fountain, fill in the pit and pave it over with cement for an outdoor venue costing about $240,000. The council asked her to provide an accurate estimate of the repair costs at the council's budget study session on June 4.
Councilman Richard Lowenthal was surprised at the high price tag to fill in the fountain.
"I think we ought to have repair of the fountain back on the table. I'm a water feature fan. That's just my tendency. So I guess I'd like to see what it takes to repair it," said Lowenthal.
But when maintenance is factored in, the fountain could cost as much as the outdoor paved area, others pointed out.
"That would be a nice outdoor patio dining or just outdoor activity area adjacent to a full commercial kitchen. It provides a nice kind of venue that we don't have anywhere else right now," said Smith.
The Cupertino Sports Center pool does not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and has become a financial and legal burden since the city bought it for $7.9 million in 1990. A replacement six-lane lap pool would cost about $2.1 million.
The Parks and Recreation Commission recommended a multipurpose sport court instead that would cost about $230,000, including the cost to demolish and fill in the existing pool.
The court could be used for such activities as badminton, basketball and in-line skating and would serve the most people, meet the needs of the community and be cost-effective, the commission decided.
The council is opposed to tennis courts because there are already plenty to serve the community. Neighbors were adamantly opposed to a skateboard park there, which would cost about $400,000 and replace the city's aging SK8 mobile skate park.
Currently, the sports center is open to members only, but Smith said the court could potentially be rented by the hour, opened to a city-established league or used for drop-in sports at scheduled times.
A gymnasium was included on the parks and recreation list as a long-term possibility. It's estimated this would cost $2 million to $3 million, including about $250,000 to fill in the pool and build a court of some sort.
