Belmont Pool Closed

I saw a draft from City Staff to the City Council for next weeks City Council meeting. Highlights: - replace the existing roof and reinforce the pillars, install new roof; - during construction place outdoor pool in the parking lot; - two 50 meter pools side by side one indoor, one outdoor; - second pool would take up some of the park space next to the existing pool; - nothing clearly noted for diving boards, or diving platforms; After reading the draft I realized nothing was noted about the actual ground on which the complex sits. Issue seems to be structural only, not land related. Pool configurations include SCY, SCM, LCM, water polo, multiple variations. Looks like they are trying to accommodate aquatic sports, and recreational users, with an emphasis on aquatic sports,with recreational users taking a secondary role.

Link to article on from the Long Beach Post. Please see the link at the end of the article. Its the same report that I saw yesterday. www.lbpost.com/.../2000001767-belmont-pool-closure-continued-alternatives-being-proposed Kindly review and offer commentary on the report. Regards,

Regarding the community meeting last evening. The two big points of contention are: 1) diving was not considered into the conceptual designs; 2) competition pool would be outdoors I spoke up and stated that one of the reasons the Belmont Pool is a popular location for various competitive events is the very fact that the pool is indoors. If the competition pool is to be outdoors, then it becomes just another outdoor 50 meter pool with a movable bulkhead. The planners agreed to speak with the McCormick Divers regarding diving platforms, and pool depth. The McCormick Divers have been utilizing the pool since it opened in 1968. I am encouraging concerned swimmers to review the report and send e-mails to City Council to recommend the competitive events remain indoors. Thank you,

Edtorial commentary on the Belmont Pool from this weeks Grunion Gazette: www.gazettes.com/.../article_853ce974-708b-11e2-9d2d-0019bb2963f4.html I agree. Hopefully, a strong case will be made by the swimming community to support the new venue having a competitive emphasis, rather than a recreational emphasis.

Editorial commentary on the Belmont Pool from this weeks Grunion Gazette: www.gazettes.com/.../article_853ce974-708b-11e2-9d2d-0019bb2963f4.html Lead story this weeks Grunion Gazette regarding Belmont pool closure: www.gazettes.com/.../article_86a42bdc-6f24-11e2-87ed-0019bb2963f4.html The Belmont Heights Community Association will hold a community meeting on 2/13/13, 7:00 pm at the Belmont Heights Methodist Church (317 Termino Ave). Speaker to be Eric Lopez Program Manager for the Tidelands Capital Projects. Discussion will surround the future of the pool and surrounding area. (Please note the City Council meets on 2/12/13) The Tidelands is where the funding for the pool will come from.

City Council Meeting tonight 5pm. Article from Long Beach Post regarding tonights City Council meeting. www.lbpost.com/.../2000001799-aquatics-advocates-plead-to-keep-competitive-diving-swimming-at-belmont-pool I e-mailed our esteemed USMS Board of Directors last week asking them to contribute an e-mail to support competitive swimming in an indoor pool setting for us. Mr. Rob Butcher responded on behalf of USMS. Thanks Rob. Regards,

Link again to City Council website. Refer to PDF named 021213-R-8 Presentation.pdf. Presented this evening by Ms. Suzanne Frick Assistant City Manager. Thank you Suzanne nice job on listening to us last week at the Community Meeting. Note the revised conceptual plans for the pools. longbeach.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx All I can say is WOW. The City Council listened. There was an additional slide presented by the Councilmen Gary DeLong and Patrick O'Donnell. The DeLong/O'Donnell Alternative, which maintains competition swimming indoors, as well as a diving well, and platform diving. Hooray! I will try to obtain a copy of the DeLong/O'Donnell Alternative and post here. They are going to try to fast track an outdoor 50 Meter Myrtha pool to be open by summer. Key words: "Premier Facility", "World Class" "Crown Jewel of the West Coast" Commentary is appreciated as there will be additional community input as this progresses. Entitlement Phase is next. Expected to take 1 year. Regards,

Having swam outdoors in the little warm-up pool at Belmont in January last year, I can tell you, an outdoor swim meet in December in Long Beach would not be a bad thing. (ElaineK, you can chime in with your input :agree:) I grew up there and it wasn't unusual for me and my friends to swim in the ocean during the Christmas break. A pool would be so much warmer. There is a huge difference between swimming a workout in cold weather and swimming a meet.In a workout you are in the water with very little out of the water so the water temperature is the main factor.I have swum once outdoors when it was snowing and was fine in the water.A meet is totally different.It seems the SPMS Dec meet always has rain that weekend.Waiting around in the rain to swim is no fun(ask anyone who was at the Pacific Zone SCY meet last year.)

Link to article in today's Long Beach Press Telegram reporting on last evenings City Council meeting. www.presstelegram.com/.../greg-louganis-dives-into-long-beach-council-discussion In attendance: Amanda Beard, Cassidy Krug, Jessica Hardy, and Dan Epperly. More Olympians too, I apologize for not getting all their names. There were about 15 Olympians at the meeting supporting the Belmont Pool and Diving. If I was sitting three more seats closer to the aisle I would have been in that picture with Greg Louganis and Sam Lee. Next time I'm taking the aisle seat! Greg and Cassidy were very generous to the crowd and signed autographs and took pictures after the vote. Nice! Regards,

I agree with Allen. It might get up to the 60's or even low 70's in December, but in the morning it can be cold. Not the cold you have back East, but certainly chilly. Every day during the winter at the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center in Pasadena ( an hour from Long Beach) where I workout at 5:30 AM it is in the low 30's on the pool deck. And as Allen says, to just get in and do a workout in those temps is not a problem. Heck, I've done that at Snowmass, Colorado in 5 degrees! But if it is also raining or even if it isn''t, if there is a delay for some reason just as you are getting on the blocks, I can guarantee you it will be uncomfortable AND you probably will not swim well. Long Beach needs an indoor competition pool!