By Robert Haugh
Santa Clara’s world-famous George F. Haines International Swim Center (ISC) has been closed suddenly and indefinitely.
Multiple sources say that the Santa Clara Swim Club was notified on Friday of the pool’s closure.
According to City staff, in August 2023, consultants LPA, Inc., Aquatic Design Group, and SGH conducted an assessment of the ISC.
To review their preliminary findings, the consultant team met with City Manager Jovan Grogan and Assistant City Manager/Acting Director of the Parks and Recreation Department Cynthia Bojorquez on January 11.
“The consultant team recommended that the facility not be used until such time repairs or replacement could be implemented that address safety and structural concerns noted in their report,” stated Janine De la Vega, the City’s Chief Public Information Officer.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the City Manager directed staff to close the facility immediately pending the completion and presentation of the consultant’s final report.”
The ISC was founded in 1951 by the legendary George Haines who many consider to be one of the best swim coaches in the history of the sport. Numerous Olympic swimmers and medalists including Mark Spitz and Donna de Varona have trained in the pool.
More recently, Olympians such as Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky competed at the ISC. The ISC hosted the prestigious Santa Clara International Swim Meet for decades.
“At this point, the length of the closure is unknown and dependent upon further review of the assessment findings,” stated De la Vega.
The consultants’ report will be discussed at the January 30th City Council meeting.
Currently, Staff is assisting swimmers find other locations for training like the Mary Gomez Swim Center which is substantially smaller than the ISC.
Editor’s Note: A minor correction was made regarding the date of the meeting between City staff and the consultants at 2:11 p.m., January 17, 2024. The error was made by the City through their original statement to the media.
[…] swim center was suddenly and unexpectedly closed in January 2024 due to unsafe and poor facility […]
I remember the City of Santa Clara asking for input on the future of the ISC. One option was building a new facility in the grass area of the Central Park School. Another option was the replacement in the same location. The big hurdle was the price tag and seemingly that no or little money had been set aside for it’s eventual replacement!
Agree that nothing was set aside to upgrade or replace the ISC and that’s on P&R administration. Good news is a bond measure passed in November that allocates about $45M to build a new pool facility. Fingers crossed that it works out for everyone.
[…] ISC was closed suddenly in January 2024 due to safety concerns. City staff recommended the facility remain closed while a new, permanent […]
[…] Clara’s world-famous George F. Haines International Swim Center (ISC) has been closed since […]
January 30, 2024
City Manager Jovan Grogan and Assistant City Manager/Acting Director of the Parks and Recreation Department Cynthia Bojorquez:
The City of Santa Clara can afford what it wants.
There were no public surveys or community wide invitations for input.
Swimming is the only sport that will save your life.
Swimming is in the heart and soul of Santa Clara.
Even during the pandemic, we all stood in line and waited to swim.
The health and well-being of our community is on the line from babies learning to swim to, the lifelong swimming seniors, our mental and physical health is enriched every day by the pool.
The City of Rome maintains a similar 50-meter outdoor pool that is from 1966 and still in immaculate condition for use every summer.
It is a boon for all of us to have the pool open all year long and what else do you do for the community? Levi Stadium does not impact 10% of this community at all and you spend millions on that every year….
From Santa Clara Aquamaids world-class synchronized swimmers and Olympic athletes at the ISC since 1964 to the Santa Clara Swim Club and the Masters Swim Team the swimming community is alive and well.
We cannot afford all the private clubs and none have a 50 meter outdoor pool open year round.
Do not close this facility!
It is well worth the effort and funds for Santa Clara to have the best swimming facilities here in Silicon Valley the single most expensive and economically productive metropolitan area in the single most expensive and economically productive state in the single most expensive and economically productive country in the world!!!
Do not say you cannot afford… a lifesaving world class institution in the heart of our community!!
Victoria Olsen
Santa Clara ISC Patron
January 30, 2024
City Manager Jovan Grogan and Assistant City Manager/Acting Director of the Parks and Recreation Department Cynthia Bojorquez:
The City of Santa Clara can afford what it wants.
There were no public surveys or community wide invitations for input.
Swimming is the only sport that will save your life.
Swimming is in the heart and soul of Santa Clara.
Even during the pandemic, we all stood in line and waited to swim.
The health and well-being of our community is on the line from babies learning to swim to, the lifelong swimming seniors, our mental and physical health is enriched every day by the pool.
The City of Rome maintains a similar 50-meter outdoor pool that is from 1966 and still in immaculate condition for use every summer.
It is a boon for all of us to have the pool open all year long and what else do you do for the community? Levi Stadium does not impact 10% of this community at all and you spend millions on that every year….
From Santa Clara Aquamaids world-class synchronized swimmers and Olympic athletes at the ISC since 1964 to the Santa Clara Swim Club and the Masters Swim Team the swimming community is alive and well.
We cannot afford all the private clubs and none have a 50 meter outdoor pool open year round.
Do not close this facility!
It is well worth the effort and funds for Santa Clara to have the best swimming facilities here in Silicon Valley the single most expensive and economically productive metropolitan area in the single most expensive and economically productive state in the single most expensive and economically productive country in the world!!!
Do not say you cannot afford… a lifesaving world class institution in the heart of our community!!
Victoria Olsen
Santa Clara ISC Patron
Santa Clara ISC Patron
… “more than 90% of families in Santa Clara don’t have houses that burn down” but we still fund a Fire Dept Not every resident is going to use every city service
This is a historical site! So much history made at the ISC! The crown jewel of SC’s Parks & Red’s sports programs. The ISC and the hardworking, decorated athletes it produced put SC on the map. This site should be celebrated and preserved, reimagined for a new era. What a travesty. Shame on the City’s govt. for letting it get this far. How about creating a SC swim & racquet club (add pickleball courts!) and tie the swim center in with the Central Park tennis courts. Use club memberships to offset costs to make the club self-funded. (I realize this won’t address the unfortunate and current $100m situation.) George Haines and baseball legend, Pete Denevi wanted to build such a club off of El Camino (where apartments now sit) but the City blocked it. It’s not a new idea! I stand with Donna De Varona.
It’s 30 million to fix the existing pool, and 100 million to build a new one – and if the funds can’t be raised, then there’s no pool. Seems like a no-brainer to me.
[…] Sadly, the ISC was recently shut down due to safety and health concerns. […]
To “Responding to Brian Doyle”. You stated to Brian Doyle that “more than 90% of families in Santa Clara don’t have kids in participating in aquatics (in Santa Clara)” Could you please provide a study that shows only 10% of the children in Santa Clara like being in the water of a pool, as that is the flip side of what your stated. Go ask 100 kids if they like playing in a pool or swimming and way more than just 10 kids will say they do.
The biggest disappointment engaging on this blog isn’t how ignorant most people are, it’s the ones like you who are both ignorant and too lazy to look information up.
Aquatic activities: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3590867/#:~:text=The%20term%20“Aquatic%20Activities”%20covers,et%20al.%2C%202010).
Share of children who participate in team swimming on a regular basis: https://www.statista.com/statistics/986011/participation-kids-swimming/
Another tragedy of the swim center closing is not just about the young athletes having a place to train. There is a societal cost to this as well.
The international swim center has been a place where those without the means to afford a pool could go to get out of the sweltering heat. Seniors, lower income, students, etc etc. who live in sweltering conditions with no air conditioning. This, coupled with expected hotter summers for longer periods makes getting the Swim Center going again an EMERGENCY SITUATION BEFORE THIS SUMMER IS HERE. It could be a lifesaver for someone in a 100 degree apartment. It could be a lifesaver for a kid who needs to take swimming lessons. How many drownings have been prevented over the decades by kids who took lessons at the Santa Clara swim Center? Having our international swim center relocated to the north side of the city in the heart of office complexes and Mission College is ridiculous.
I do blame the majority of our city council who set the city priorities, and this needs their attention NOW. This is the same city council majority who just ok’d spending hundereds of thousands of dollars on a special election nobody wants, and which money could have gone into the pot for repairs instead.
And didn’t the council majority give the 49ers like a million dollars plus recently to resod Levi’s field?? It’s a crime that money was squandered on billionaires and millionaires instead of putting the money into repairing our international swim center instead for our community.
Sad that a community like Santa Clara can not find a way to raise enough awareness and funding to support the Santa Clara swim center. Swimming is an activity that can save a life, extend and enrich a life. With so many successful companies located in the area why have they not stepped up to sponsor an effort to find a solution. Sports history was made here while inspiring generations of young people who learned how to thrive and strive in the competitive world in which we live thru the lessons one learns in sports such as goal setting,team work,self confidence and sacrifice. I am beyond disappointed for the lack of vision expressed as to the reasons why some are not supportive of saving the center Respectfully
Donna de Varona. Olympic Champion former Santa Clara Club swimmer
Donna, knowing how to swim and knowing how to save a life in a water situation is important but that can be taught at any of Santas Clara’s three high school pools pools or the many community pools throughout the city.
Former Women’s professional soccer team FC Gold Pride also attempted to find large corporate sponsorships in Santa Clara but the numbers weren’t there. That’s saying something as Santa Clara University’s women soccer team is world renowned currently ranking #4 in the State and #25 nationally. Competitive swim history was certainly made here, you and Mark Spitz have long been acknowledged as legends in the sport for your accomplishments in the 60’s/70’s and there are teenagers recently climing the national ranks, but Santa Clara Swim Club hasn’t made USA Swimming’s Club Exelence list since 2016 https://www.usaswimming.org/news/2022/10/27/2023-club-excellence-results.
People here have a creative vision but most are looking to the future not 50-60 years in the past. Santa Clara residents won’t accept a $100M tax to rebuild a structure they won’t use or can’t show a financial ROI. As controversial as Levi’s Stadium is to some people frequenting this blog, it sells tickets in the hundreds and thosands of dollars, the George F. Haines International Swim Center does not.
If the swim community wants to keep competitive swimming alive in the City of Santa Clara there is ample open field space to build on and better support facilities at Mission College, which is also near the corporate headquarters of billion dollar companies AMD, Agilent, Coherent, Intel, and Nvidia. With the Gillmor family name adorning campus buildings and your and Mark’s celebrity status, maybe you, Mark, and Lisa can form a coalition to raise money for a new corporate sponsored state-of-the-art swim center at Mission College. “The Nvidia George F. Haines Swim Center” at Mission College similar to the “Avery Aquatic Center” at Stanford University would sound nice https://gostanford.com/facilities/avery-aquatic-center/4
RE: “Here’s a Creative Idea” – Avery at Stanford was paid for by a developer. They didn’t pass a hat for donations or use star power to raise money from local businesses. Want ISC fixed – brand with a developer name like Speaker, Schott, or Devecon
[…] Metropolis of Santa Clara had a gaggle of consultants check out the pool in August, in line with Santa Clara Information, and on Jan. 14, the guide workforce met with Metropolis Supervisor Jovan Grogan and Assistant […]
[…] City of Santa Clara had a group of consultants take a look at the pool in August, according to Santa Clara News, and on Jan. 14, the consultant team met with City Manager Jovan Grogan and Assistant City […]
I hope we can all come together and develop a plan to update the ISC. For 8 years while on the Parks and Rec commission we would listen to staff discuss the age of the pool and its parts. We tried to inform councils thru the years that something needed to be done to fix the issue in a more comprehensive approach. I don’t believe that way is thru a bond measure, my guess is that we may need to think outside the box. Maybe one of these developers instead of giving us a park, could provide a new pool???? I understand that Agnew property is being looked at for possible re-development maybe a new pool facility off Lafayette??? I would ask the city council to ask for volunteers to study the issue and I would be proud to sit on that study group.
George, your comment makes sense and your first-hand experience on the Park & Recs Commisson is valuable in noting for readers that the community hasn’t been able to come up with resources to maintain the ISC for more than eight years. A world class competitive swim center wouldn’t just require a big pool, it would also need locker rooms, audience seating, a whole host of maintenance support features, ample parking, and close proximity to hospitality. Agnews is a historical site, I don’t believe redeveloping it to accommodate sports complex would be easy.
The usual simpletons keep using any blog Robert posts to vilify members of the City Council who don’t take home full-time city salaries and benefits. The ISC is a budget and community benefit matter, not politics.
The ISC is estimated to cost between $80M-$100M to replace, which is a non-starter. While recreational swimming is gaining popularity, competitive swimming is seasonal and not a money maker at any level. Santa Clara should maintain swimming pools similar to the one at Mary Gomez for community recreation but three Olympic size pools and stadium are way too much. https://blog.myswimpro.com/2023/07/24/why-nobody-cares-about-swimming/
Current ISC site and Fatjo Sports Center (softball field) would be a prime location for mixed senior and low-income apartments. The City Council should look at that and task the City Manager with evaluating and comparing salaries and benefits to those paid in Sunnyvale, Campbell, and San Jose. Adjust salaries downward and apply savings to smaller swim facility infrastructure.
The person masked behind the name “Time to Invest …” obviously has no real knowledge or understanding of the importance of the International Swim Center to Santa Clara residents. As a former “Swim Dad” I saw how the ISC provided an important resource for local youth to gain fabulous training in aquatic sports that include not only swimming and diving, but artistic swimming as well. In addition, the facility provides lap time to City residents, many of whom are masters tournament participants. Many adult residents, including seniors, get much needed pool time at the facility as well. In addition, the facility is the site of a very well regarded learn-to-swim program for residents of all ages. Finally, the facility also brought many important international swim meets, bringing significant publicity and economic benefit to the City.
To advocate the permanent closure of the ISC is advocating against a major resource for physical fitness, health and water safety. Moreover, the suggestion that the area could be converted to housing ignores the Santa Clara Charter provision that prohibits conversion of City park land to other uses without a vote of the people. This provision was adopted by more than 90 percent of Santa Clara voters, demonstrating that they greatly value the City’s park and recreation resources. As we approach 2026, when the City Council has locked the City into focusing its resources on the Super Bowl and the World Cup, it’s time for them to figure out how the beneficiaries of those events can contribute to restoring Santa Clara City resources to facilities that benefit Santa Clara residents.
@BrianDoyle: I appreciate the emotional attachment a “swim dad” might have to a facility that his children benefitted from but more than 90% of families in Santa Clara don’t have kids in participating in aquatics. Do you have resources to raise $100M, bake sale maybe?
Residents of Santa Clara understand the analysis the City Manager’s office has concluded estimating that anything short of replacement is just throwing good money after bad. Residents would question where is the ROI in a $100M Olympic Swim Center and will likely to vote down a proposed bond. So where does that leave us? One good suggestion I read was open competitive swim center on the Mission College campus that can better accommodate hosting those events.
Since 2004, the City’s population has grown 25% and is predicted to keep rising. We need more affordable housing in this city to keep our local businesses up and running and there is no future in sight for that dilapidated structure. While I’m certain residents would vote down a $100M swimming pool bond, I’m equally certain they’d vote to support affordable housing in that area with a much smaller community pool.
Where are the details on what the existing pool needs to be fixed/usable? Where are the “three Olympic Pools in Santa Clara”?
Mark, there are two sizes for competive stroke swimming: an ‘log course’ pool is 50 meters long and can vary in width and ‘short course’ is 25 meters long; Santa Clara’s main race pool is 50m (L) x 25m (W) and short course is 25m (L) x 14m (W). An Olympic diving pool needs to simply be 16ft deep, Santa Clara’s is 17ft deep. All three pools are located at the same George F. Haines International Swim Center. https://www.competitorswim.com/guide-to-swimming-pool-dimensions/
The city council (especially the current one) does not deserve city salaries or benefits. They are a policy-making body. Santa Clara is a city-management form of government wherein the department heads, supervisors and “boots on the ground” employees run the programs and do the day-to-day hard work that keeps (or should keep) the city clean, safe and a good place to live.
“Invest” has no knowledge or sense of the history and importance of the International Swim Center. Not only were great Olympians trained there, but the simple pleasure of using the swim center during the summer months brought families and friends together to enjoy the facility and each others company.
Santa Clara’s park system used to be a great source of pride to the community and its residents. It’s sad to read that anyone would think that this important part of the Central Park acreage should be demolished to construct yet more oversized, overbuilt and mega-density housing that no regular city resident could afford.
Notice that for months Kevin Park, who represents that area said NOTHING. Becker and Jain are too busy investigating soccer clubs. Jain is convinced that Stand Up Santa Clara and the POA are plotting.
While some guy named Ig Reilly is talking to some apartment building owners about running downtown as well some ex commissioners, jain has asked for records of poa leaders.
Hmm, 5 million to defeat Lisa Gillmor in 2022? If the 49ers had led a campaign to rehab the Swim Center, it would have done more for them than cnn ads. Vartan gets the Agrihood and Park cares not for Swim Centers but for kiddie books.