Landmark Pool’s Demolition Begins

The Janss Pool, a longtime Thousand Oaks landmark, is no more.

Demolition work on the pool, expected to be completed Friday, started Tuesday. Local officials said the $24,000 cost of tearing down the pool was far less than the estimated $85,000 to fix it and meet county standards.

The City Council and park officials will meet later this year to discuss new locations for a municipal pool, but so far no specific proposals exist, said Jim Friedl, deputy city manager.

The pool’s location is one of the reasons the council voted to demolish it. It was a liability issue, Friedl said.

The pool was in an isolated place, had no lifeguard, and some stray balls from the neighboring Los Robles Golf Course were reaching the pool area, he said.

For these reasons, the council originally decided to demolish the pool a year ago, but after a core of residents opposed the decision, the council reconsidered.

The city had considered adding protective netting to the pool area, but the county inspection earlier this year generated a long list of additional improvements that were too costly to perform, officials said.