Belmont Pool Closed

Thanks for the tutorial, Bill! Looks like an approach from the South on the 5 might be better than chancing the 710 North. Keep us posted!

For anyone participaing at SCMs in City of Commerce. At little guide I made for out of town participants. I sent an e-mail to Splish to see if they would open their warehouse on Friday and/or Saturday to Masters Swimmers or have a booth at the pool facility. I am still wating for their response. 8124

Your welcome to everyone glad the map can help you folks out on your great swimming adventure to the City of Commerce. I will be in Commerce again this Friday morning to do some more lap swimming in the competition pool (lucky me). I will visit some more of these businesses and see if I can wrangle up some discounts. I don't mind stopping by the Commerce Casino and asking if they could sponsor a few prizes for heat winners. I think its nice that this event is in Commerce, and gives the city a chance to shine a little. I'll stop by City Hall and the Chamber of Commerce and see if the Mayor, or the Parks & Recreation Director can stop by during the meet and say a few words on day one, or at least have some exposure to US Masters. I am also a firm believer in supporting small businesses. These Mom & Pop restaurants, and stores, are the lifeblood of Commerce and some, like Stevens Steak & Seafood, has been around for decades. The little "A" from Google Maps is actually incorrect. The Brenda Villa Aquatic Center is actually in Rosewood Park right where that little circle is located on the map. The Aquatic Center is very easy to get to from the 5 or 710 Freeways.

...so Lucky Me had another chance to swim in the City of Commerce (Brenda Villa Aquatic Center) (BVAC) this past Friday. Water still at exactly 80F. I tried the sauna this time. Nice and toasty. Not too hot, but hot enough. Could comfortably sit about 8-10 guys, with some standing room. Will presume the women's sauna is the same size. Showers were lukewarm after my swim, but heated up halfway through my shower. Was not sure what happened here as it was very early in the day and not a lot of swimmers for the 6am lap swim workout. No construction detours this trip up the 710 freeway. Hooray! I found out first hand that Competitive Aquatic Supply (CAS) will not have a booth/tent at the swim meet. I did find out that my friends at Swim Depot (Laguna Hills, CA) will have a booth/tent at the swim meet. Don't try looking for a website for Swim Depot, its a little Mom & Pop swim store without an internet presence. A very nice Asian couple (Jean & Steve Fujimoto) who have GREAT deals on swim suits, swim gear, etc. Love these people. I purchased a couple of swim briefs from them earlier this year at the BVAC for $12.00 each. I forgot if they were Nike or Speedo, I was just happy with the price!, plus the cool prints. I will keep an eye out on the weather forecast for everyone. Hoping for good weather for the out of town participants. Almost forgot - if you are limited on transportation check out the City of Commerce website for their public transportation to/from the pool via their city busses. Cost for public busses $0.00. Three or four bus routes serve the the BVAC, and the Citadal/Double Tree hotel area.

I keep forgetting to mention this. If you are swimming backstroke at this SCM Championship meet you can celebrate the fact that the lighting in the facility is backstroker friendly. The two times I have worked out at the facility I was using blue goggles which have a very light tint and noticed the lighting is not harsh on the eyes.

Also keep forgetting to mention this too. What's real nice about the Brenda Villa Aquatic Center (BVAC) is getting out of the pool. If you are swimming in the middle of the pool its, for me anyway, easy to get out of the pool. The pool deck is not as high as at the Belmont Pool deck. Its about half the height. I know many people struggled to get out of the pool at Belmont. It will be way easier for them at the BVAC. The pool does have a pretty big gutter too. Over all it does seem as if they put a lot of thought into the complex when it was built.

Forcast for this weekend in Los Angeles. 8150

PRESS RELEASE December 16, 2013 Contact: Jane Grobaty, 562.570.3233, Jane.Grobaty@longbeach.gov For immediate release Public Invited to Belmont Plaza Temporary Pool Grand Opening Ceremony on December 19, 2013 Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster, City Councilmember Gary DeLong, and the Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine invite the public to attend a grand opening celebration for the Belmont Plaza Temporary Pool on Thursday, December 19, at 4 pm. Belmont Plaza Temporary Pool is located at 4000 Olympic Plaza in Long Beach. “This 50-meter heated pool will be full of youth and adults enjoying fun, healthy activities ranging from community use to competitions,” Mayor Bob Foster said. The Olympic-length pool is made out of stainless steal with a vinyl lining. It can be configured to have 10 50-meter lanes or 18 25-meter lanes, with ample opportunities for recreational and lap swimming, water exercise classes, competitive swimming and high school and collegiate water polo programs. “This versatile pool will provide year-round enjoyment for both the competitive swimming community and the recreational swimming community,” said Councilmember Gary DeLong, who represents the 3rd District. “People are very excited to return to this venue, and look forward to seeing the permanent world class aquatic facility begin to take shape.” The pool’s features include: · Shallow water in approximately 40 percent of the pool to accommodate recreational and learn-to-swim programs. · Enough deep water to accommodate an all-deep competition water polo course with floating goal as well as two all-deep practice water polo courses with fixed goals. · A lift and two sets of stairs with double rails for disabled access. · Bleacher seating for more than 300 people. · A moveable bulkhead that can adjust swim lengths to 50 meters or 25 meters. The pool was installed to provide services offered by Belmont Pool Natatorium, which was permanently closed in February when it was deemed seismically and structurally unsafe. The natatorium will be replaced with a new permanent facility in the same area. Residents can access the temporary pool from Ocean Boulevard and Bennett Avenue and park to the east of the pool, or park in the Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier parking lot to the west. For more information, please call Aquatics Supervisor Lori Jarmacz at 562.570.1809, or visit www.lbparks.org.

OH JOY!!! 8180 NEW Belmont Outdoor Pool- Public Swim Hours (Beginning December 20): Lap Swim MWF 5:30 am - 9:30 am Long Course T/Th 6:30 am - 9:30 am Long Course M-F 11 am - 2 pm Short Course MW 7 pm - 9 pm Short Course Sat 8 am - 12 pm Long Course Sun 8 am - 12 pm Short Course

City of Long Beach City Council Approves Architects/Engineers for Long Beach Pool March 05th, 2014