Water sports and local aquatic groups will be relocated for one season as the Northwood Aquatics Center will undergo year-long renovations starting in February 2024.
Construction, initially set for August, faced delays because of Woollett Aquatics Center renovations.
With both aquatic centers down, heavy traffic is expected at the Woollett Aquatics Center in the early mornings as regular users of Woollet and the Northwood swim team crowd into the pool.
“It’s definitely going to be a tough transition for a lot of us, finding a way to get to Portola that early in the morning then rushing to school afterwards,” junior Yufei Chen said. “As swimming is a spring sport, schoolwork ramps up as we head into league finals and CIF.”
The renovation plan involves installing a new pool deck, a fresh pool shell and new tiles to address issues such as flaking concrete, exposed rebar and damage to the deck drain.
Although there is no “sagging” to the pool as rumors state, the Northwood Aquatic Center’s 20-year-old pool plaster must be replaced because it has exceeded its normal lifespan of 15 years.
“The City has actively worked with IUSD and the Irvine Aquatics Advisory Board to discuss the process, timeline and plan for relocation during the project,” City of Irvine community services manager Cory Hilderbrand said. “The City will actively provide updates on the progress through its social media channels.”
In order to alleviate swimmers’ worries about getting to school on time, the district will be providing transportation to and from Portola and Northwood.
“We all know that this is necessary for everyone and the future of the team,” sophomore Sooho Cho said. “So people just accept the facts.”
Northwood’s swim team practices will be held at 5:45 a.m. at Portola High School starting Jan. 29.
Updates on the Northwood Aquatic Center’s renovation journey can be found @cityofirvine on Instagram and any questions should be emailed to Hilderbrand at [email protected].
