by Reggie Akpata | I was severely disappointed last week when I attended the public input session on the Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool.
Twice in breakout group number 7, a top city official referred to me as a “troublemaker,” which I found amusing but “un-seeming” and unbecoming of a public official.
Maybe it was my questions.
Why spend $62M on a 2 pool facility when we know—from the new pool in the former parking lot—that a fantastic pool can be had for $1.8M, this per the CEO of the constructing company’s Americas division?
For 12 years, since my dog was 16 weeks old, I have traversed said parking lot to reach Dog Beach; it’s primary function had been it’s use as a meet-up spot, it would appear, for people who have met “maybe” on the internet. I would suggest that we install a second $1.8M Myrtha pool in that parking lot, this one with end-to-end deep water, enabling us garner another two water polo fields for the overall facility.
Then there is the proposed $62M indoor pool.
There are extenuating circumstances regarding this part of the proposal that City officials didn’t want us to hear about, including the fact that a Long Beach resident has purchased the adjacent property to the pool that once that housed Yankee Doodles.
The current proposal calls for the expenditure of some $50M to raise the ground under the proposed site diminishing the developer’s land for retail use.
While attempting to raise this point, he (the developer) was subject to actual physical intimidation by the proposed site developer who stood menacingly over him while he attempted to further his interests by exposing this situation. The site manager erred in his opining that this local Long Beach resident’s interests didn’t need to be served over his city government’s.
My suggestions for the main facility:
For under $6M we could have TWO diving wells ( each large enough to accommodate WaterPolo as well and two, full-size 50m multi-use above ground pools—one outdoor, one indoor—surrounded by glass to improve visibility from all bleachers.
These “above ground pools” remove the need to raise the ground to suit coastal commission requirements, and save a good $50M while maintaining the developer’s retail viability across the street; tax revenue is an important source of income and any generated around the facility beats the city going into retail food, or ancillary businesses hands down.
The city has placed itself in a difficult position – regarding the fractious situation regarding the adjacent commercial property – since to the casual onlooker it begins to seem like jealousy at best, and sabotage at worse; the proverbial “shooting of one’s own foot”.
Satisfying “Swimming Long Beach”:
The subject of “constituencies” is a fiction of division maintained by the city due to shortsightedness.
There is only one constituency – the swimming community – and it seems to have been forgotten here.
From beginner to future Olympian we are one community. To have eliminated all but one known local coach – from the advisory committee – claiming that they didn’t want “self interest” is a “cop out” by the city. It’s as if they know that the no-holds-barred knock down drag out fight between different professional coaching/training schools will continue, and so they seem to be “cherry picking” coaches instead of realizing that the facilities – as proposed – are going to be inadequate to make a dent on demand!
For those unaware, the Belmont Pool actually pays – from it’s operating budget – up to $100,000 every year for gas to heat the pool; this doesn’t make “a lick of sense” and is at the heart of the inability of the city to provide a credible “ramp” for indigent children swimming in the city. For even middle class parents, water polo at the local clubs is a staggering $750/season!
This fiscal constraint is evidenced by the premier high school swimming and water polo program in the city – Wilson High School – matriculating a whole 5 female students into 9th grade this school year, “5” freshmen swimmers, 3 of which are in Water Polo!
This provides grist for those that claim Title 9 is a hoax due to the low participation rates.
Again for those unaware, there is a levy of $400 (minimum investment) for children to participate in a swim program in a public school because the school has to “buy pool time” to subsidize Long Beach Gas!
It doesn’t make any sense given the potential PR that could be derived from LB Gas gifting the pool gas from the $100 million of gas it transacts annually, much of it derived from gas fields in Long Beach!
On Demand: For example, there are 87,000 LBUSD kids, 90% of whom can’t swim a credible straight 50 meters. One of my questions at the confab was: how will the current proposal make a dent in that statistic.
There was no answer. What if we build it and 80,000 kids show up?
Further suggestions:
It is apparent that there are legacy toxic materials in the mothballed building and toxic material abatement is a priority; how will people continue to swim – in the existing facility – while this is navigated?
I would suggest another $1.8 million 50 meter Myrtha pool in the lot under the Villa Riviera which will continue to serve that community – including St. Anthony’s – for the next 50 years! A bargain if you ask me. Before the Coastal Commission is mentioned, let us not forget that said commission permitted the construction at the foot of the boat dock in Alamitos Beach of a functioning oil Derrick (photo attached).
Returning to the Belmont, I would like to suggest that with these deliberations going on and with another 9/11 anniversary just gone by that the twin diving wells be enclosed in twin glass towers – with a light weight roof – to serve as a functioning 9/11 tribute.
Lastly I would like to suggest that despite the City being the contracting agency, that they take a seat at the table of stakeholders in “true democracy” instead of acting as “puppet masters”.
Outdoor pools serve as recreation as no self respecting tourist would find themselves “indoors” while on holiday, a pool on a beach though might change that.