Alameda has officially kicked off construction on its long-planned aquatic center, with the City of Alameda announcing that work has begun on the all-electric pool complex rising at the west end of Jean Sweeney Open Space Park. The project pairs a 30-meter competition pool with a separate activity pool, along with spectator areas and a support building meant to serve swimmers of all ages for years to come.
The update came via a City of Alameda – Local Government Facebook post on Tuesday, which announced that construction has begun on the new facility. The city has said it expects the aquatic center to be completed by late summer 2028, though the timeline has shifted before as the project evolved. A separate Alameda Post report from July 2025 noted the project had been projected to open by January 2028, underscoring that the exact completion date has moved around in city communications.
Design-wise, the facility is being built to run without natural gas entirely. Per the Alameda Post’s coverage of a July 2025 council vote, the revised design calls for electrifying the facility and eliminating gas use altogether, while folding the pool complex into the surrounding parkland. That same report noted the final design integrates with Jean Sweeney Open Space Park and preserves existing trees on the site, rather than clearing the lot for new construction.
Contracts and a Climbing Price Tag
The scale of the project came into sharper focus this past July, when the Alameda City Council unanimously approved a $32.4 million construction agreement with Wickman Construction, Inc., according to the Alameda Post. Councilmembers also signed off on contract amendments totaling $484,798 for Griffin Structures, Inc. and $171,470 for ELS Architects, the same report states…