The California Coastal Commission will hold a hearing during its monthly meeting on Feb. 11 to approve the Belmonte Pool replacement project in Long Beach, and the advisory committee is asking for help from the swimming community.
The call to action request asks community members to send correspondence to the California Coastal Commission, expressing support for the project and asking the commissioners to approve the project as recommended by the commission staff in Items 12b and 14a, and deny the appeals in Items 13a and 13b.
Emails can be sent to Dani Ziff at [email protected], with the deadline being 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 5. Ziff will then compile a package of all emails (and letters) that will be distributed to each commissioner.
Comments can also be submitted online here.
The commission was scheduled to vote on the project back in December, but it was postponed due to noticing issues.
The original Belmont Plaza Pool, which had been a fixture in the community since 1968 and even hosted the 1968 U.S. Olympic Trials, was torn down in 2014 over concerns about its ability to withstand an earthquake.
Eight years later, there have been numerous delays in getting the new facility approved. Costs rose to $145 million in the summer of 2019 due to inflated construction costs, and the plan was downsized, eliminating the indoor facility.
Currently, the pool is proposed to be designed in a way that would enable it to hold major national-level competitions. Despite things being downsized, the facility is still set to include several notable features, such as:
- A 50-meter by 25-yard outdoor pool
- 1,500 permanent spectators seats
- A recreational/play/therapy pool
- The current temporary outdoor pool at the site would be made permanent to give the facility 2 50-meter pools.
- The diving well and towers would be outside at the Northeast corner of the project.
You can check out graphics of the design plan here.
Move it to Texas
A perfect example of the disfunction that is California. The fact that this has languished for so many years is a disgrace. To add insult to injury, there is a significant chance that the coastal commission will block it (many residents don’t want to see it built, because of NIMBYism or some voodoo science on sea level rise that if it does occur will likely happen well past the lifecycle of this facility). Even if it does get approved, there is a $20MM shortfall in funding, so we are looking years out into the future.
Sea level rise isn’t “voo-doo science.” It’s science. And if Long Beach, who will be hosting several Olympic events in 2028, gets the approval, the funding will show up. I also wouldn’t say this “example of disfunction” is unique to California, either. Wouldn’t you rather support rebuilding an international-caliber swim facility?