Estancia High School in Costa Mesa was the only district high school without an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Its existing outdoor L-shaped pool measured 25-yards by 27-yards. With successful aquatic programs growing and a desire for equity amongst the high schools in the District, the District’s school board agreed to a new $7 million pool replacement project in 2016. The pool would be an outdoor eight lane, 50-meter pool to be used for water polo practice, competition, and by the community.

At the time the school district secured bids in the summer of 2017, the project was $3 million over budget. With the project on pause and in search of creative solutions, Counsilman-Hunsaker assembled a design-build team that was able to create a construction budget that other teams could not accommodate. Working closely with the pool contractor through a design-assist project approach, the design team prepared a design solution that met the programming needs of the school district while also meeting their budget requirements for the project.

California Waters, the pool construction specialist, served as both general contractor and swimming pool contractor for the project. The renovation scope included filling in the existing L-shaped pool and replacing it with an outdoor courtyard, renovating an existing building to accommodate two chemical storage rooms and the new mechanical and chemical treatment systems for the pool, bleachers with shade structures, sports lighting, LED scoreboard, coach’s offices, team room, restrooms, snack bar, and site work.

The project was funded from the Capital Outlay Projects fund, an account set up for capital expenditures, including facilities improvement projects