The Valley Foundation recently approved a $1 million grant for the project, which was preceded by the town's donation of $300,000.

That brings the school one step closer to realizing the dream of several parents in the summer of 1999, which was to replace the school's outdated facilities.

Plans for an L-shaped, eight-lane pool—ranging from a depth of 3¹/2 to 13 feet—include a lift for those with disabilities, a pool deck and two diving boards. After renovation, the pool will meet standards set by the Nati onal Federation of High Schools, the California Interscholastic Federation, USA Swimming and U.S. Diving.

The Los Gatos­Saratoga Department of Community Education and Recreation, the Los Gatos­Saratoga Joint Union High School District and the town had been working on a written agreement for the past few months to ensure that the pool would be available for use for all Los Gatos residents.

With the agreement, the recreation department will use the pool for water rehabilitation classes for the handicapped, Red Cross training and senior water aerobics programs. Anyone with a Los Gatos, Monte Sereno or Saratoga address, or living within the Los Gatos or Saratoga school districts, is served by the department. Nonresidents must pay additional fees.

Now that the school has secured more than 90 percent of the funding for the pool, the school district can give formal approval and plans can be sent to the state architect.

Valley Foundation board members made the decision to add to a previous $500,000 grant at a Sept. 5 meeting.

"Let's make this happen sooner rather than later," said Ervie Smith, executive director of the foundation. "If the town is serious about it and is willing to put its money into it, then we want to make sure it's going to happen."

Smith said the foundation had given the project $100,000 previously and then issued a $400,000 challenge grant, which was met earlier last week. The board then decided to grant $1 million on top of the previous funding.

"From the very beginning, we've been committed to make this a real community pool," Smith said.

The Valley Foundation, a nonprofit organization that was founded by the Community Hospital of Los Gatos, emphasizes health-related funding but has donated money to various local schools in the past.

On Sept. 3, the Los Gatos Town Council agreed to use $300,000 of the town's redevelopment bond money to fund the community pool, which will sit on the high school campus.

Previously, the town council had said it would help with funding if the pool proved to be for general use. A written agreement guaranteed that the school and the recreation department would share the usage.

"Staff's goals were to maximize the pool's community benefit and, at the same time, to safeguard the agency's financial contribution," said Regina Falkner, Los Gatos community services director.

In the agreement, the recreation department uses the facility for at least 900 hours during the summer and 108 weekend hours and 80 weekday hours during the school year. Hours of operation were increased to 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends.

Steve Rauwolf, director of the recreation department, said the new facility would allow the department to form new programs. "We saw an opportunity to develop a community swim program here in Los Gatos that we see in other communities," Rauwolf said.

Los Gatos High School Principal Trudy McCulloch testified to the significance of the pool for students. McCulloch said one student had given $1,000 in scholarship funds to the pool last year, and the class of 2002 had donated $5,000.

Council members unanimously approved of the funding and the joint agreement.

"These are some of the best monies that we could spend for the amount of usage we could have," Mayor Randy Attaway said. "We couldn't build a community pool for $300,000. This is a win-win situation for all parties."

McCulloch later said she was "very happy" with both grants. The next steps will be for the school board to approve the project and for the state architect to approve plans for the pool and for the new girls' locker room.

Construction for both facilities will be coordinated, McCulloch said, because pool designs call for the locker room to be moved, as well as to save money. "The worst thing in the world would be to tear up the girls' locker room after building it," McCulloch said. Demolition for both is projected to start in late January or early February, at the beginning of the second semester.

If the pool is not 80 percent complete within four years, the town will take back the entire $300,000.

Ed LaVeque, a foundation board member and pool steering committee member, said both grants bring the total to "somewhere around $125,000 short" of the goal. That means that 95 percent of the $2.8 million has been raised. The committee continues to do fundraising and is planning an October event to close the gap.

According to LaVeque, McCulloch, the foundation and the town have all been actively supportive of the pool project.

"The town's support at the town council meeting was overwhelming," LaVeque said. "I looked at the council members and I saw the excitement on their faces, and I was overwhelmed."