Big Turnout At Northgate High Aquatic Center Meeting

More than 100 people attended a meeting Monday night to discuss the new aquatic center being built at Northgate High School.

Construction on the $7.5 million center is scheduled to begin next month with the center opening next summer.

The center will contain a state-of-the-art 40-meter pool with stadium seating, outdoor lighting and a sports medicine classroom.

The lease-back contract for the pool's construction was approved last month by the Mt. Diablo Unified School District board of education.

The audience first heard from several student swimmers and water polo athletes.

They told the group the center is needed so Northgate athletes can have a place close to home to practice. They said when they practice at Diablo Valley College and other locations, they start after 6 p.m. because other teams are using the pool and they get home at 10 p.m.

The pool at Northgate, they said, will allow them to start practice earlier and cut down on travel time, allowing them get home in time to study.

A water polo and a swimming coach backed up the teens' statements.

"The other kids are home eating dinner while our kids are heading out to practice," said one coach.

Northgate neighbors expressed concerns about the center. They included the time the pool is used, the lights being turned on at night and the noise from loudspeakers, starting whistles and crowds.

They also expressed concerns the pool will be leased out to clubs and other schools.

One neighbor who lives next to the site where the pool will be built said his home values will decrease once the pool is open.

He said he is the one who will hear the noise and have the lights flood his back yard.

"You don't live next to Northgate," he said. "I am the one who is going to pay the price."

However, another neighbor said she hears school bells, students talking and the crack of baseball bats and "I love every minute of it."

She said the pool is for the entire community and everyone should keep that in mind.

Northgate High Principal John McMorris told the nearby residents the school wants to be "a good neighbor."

McMorris said he wants the pool to be used almost exclusively for Northgate High activities and not outside users. Among other problems, he said the school can't afford to have a lifeguard on duty.

He also said he does not want the pool to stay open late.

"I want my students out of the pool by 9 p.m. and at home doing homework and getting ready to do great things," said McMorris.

Aquatic center proponents also passed out a sheet of goals and proposed procedures they hope will mitigate the neighbor' concerns.

Among them were posting schedules so nearby residents know the times of events and practices as well as establishing a plan to clean up litter from the surrounding area.

The proponents also said procedures should be established to make sure lights are turned off on time and the loudspeaker system is programmed so it doesn't exceed maximum noise levels.

They also said a site committee will develop traffic and parking controls.