Making a splash at Greenmeadow

Ten years after taking the plunge to restore its neighborhood pool, the Greenmeadow Community Association in south Palo Alto reopened the local treasure with a splashy party in early April.

The 4,350-square-foot, six-lane pool cost $750,000 to renovate and is the first part of a $2.5 million project that includes a new 2,000-square-foot ADA-accessible clubhouse for neighborhood gatherings. The clubhouse is the first structure added to the Greenmeadow Community Center at 303 Parkside Drive since developer Joseph Eichler built it in 1954. It was designed as the hub for his surrounding 300-home development. The center includes a park, the pool and a preschool, and it was intended to fulfill Eichler’s vision of a neighborhood as a community.

The shimmering turquoise pool has been the centerpiece of neighborhood activity for decades. It inspires the Greenmeadow Marlins swim team, which carries on a friendly rivalry with the Eichler Gators, a swim team at Palo Alto’s Eichler Swim & Tennis Club, another community-maintained center Eichler built, on Louis Road.

On a recent afternoon, sunlight glinted off the rippling water of the new pool as youngsters took long, arching strokes during lap-swim practice. Onlookers watched from new patio tables, chairs and umbrellas on the renovated concrete deck.

Association President Josh Feira and Lisa Knox, of the membership committee, admired the colorful tile work edging the steps: blue-toned in the main pool and rainbow-colored in the kiddie section. The shallow children’s area is decorated with aquatic-animal tiles created by association member Heather Scholl.

“There’s so much pride in this project,” Knox said.

The tiles are one example of residents’ dedication to the project. About 15 to 20 volunteers pulled together to make the renovation happen, said Jeff Kametec, an association member and the project manager.

The pool was last renovated in 1985, Feira said. The new heated pool, on which construction began last October, has an all-new lining, new diving board, diving blocks and inlaid tiles demarcating the various pool depths. There is a dedicated diving area, section for young children and an ADA-compliant lift and ramps. Inset and above-ground lighting allow for evening swims, and a sophisticated filtration system reduces chlorine by half compared to the prior filtration system.

Swim coach Rick Gordon is particularly pleased with the new filtration system, which makes the water easier on the skin and eyes.

“It makes a difference in the feel of the water. It’s terrific to have such a nice facility,” he said, adding that it’s now a pleasure to be able to swim in the evenings.

The pool currently has about 150 registered swimmers. There is room right now for members to join from outside of Greenmeadow, but Feira anticipates that might change in the coming months.

“Once people see how great the pool looks and our Marlins swim team schedule gets underway, we anticipate that our membership will fill up and we’ll move to a wait list,” he said.

The clubhouse, designed by Kobza Associates, broke ground in mid-January. When completed in October, the new building will have an outdoor barbecue area, ADA-accessible bathrooms and showers, air conditioning, heating and a “great room” for the gatherings, Feira said.

The building architecture matches that of the surrounding Eichler homes. It has the same floor-to-ceiling glass walls and flat roof, a requirement since the neighborhood is on the National Registry of Historic Neighborhoods, Feira noted. He said the project went through a special city Historic Resources Board hearing.

“The board has a reputation for being incredibly rigorous, but we passed the first time,” he noted with a sense of pride.

To make room for the new building, a large wall that separated the park and pool was knocked down and a full basketball court was converted into a half court. When the project is completed, the association plans to add events for seniors, to expand luncheons and coffee socials and to hold Friday night community dinners in the indoor-outdoor space, Knox said. Each year they hold a swanky cocktail party. Knox is looking forward to holding the event in the new space. It might even attract a new crowd of volunteers.

“It will be easier to get more people involved. It got tiresome to dress up the preschool and try to make it look like a nightclub,” she said.

Feira said the association is paying for the renovations from savings that have been collected for over a decade. They also received a loan from First Republic Bank. A $250,000 capital campaign for the clubhouse and pool furnishings, appliances, landscaping and other finishing touches has raised $150,000 so far, he added. The association also hopes to recoup costs through more fundraising, such as adding donors’ names to bricks or plaques. They also can pay for costs by renting the new clubhouse, Knox said.