By Robert Haugh
Santa Clara’s world-famous George F. Haines International Swim Center (ISC) has been closed since mid-January.
Last night, the City Council met to get an update on the situation. They learned that the ISC might be re-opened in six to nine months in a best-case scenario.
That means no summer swimming at the Mission City’s most popular pool.
Assistant City Manager/Acting Parks and Recreation Director Cynthia Boroquez said that the City staff is still gathering information and provided no action items for the City Council to take.
Mayor Lisa Gillmor and Councilmembers Raj Chahal, Kevin Park and Kathy Watanabe pushed the City staff to identify steps to open the ISC earlier with a variety of possible short-term fixes.
City staff has identified repairs that will cost approximately $2 million.
City Manager Jovan Grogan said that he’s concerned about investing in the ISC for short-term fixes without knowing the full cost of other repairs that the City may not be aware of.
Grogan and City Councilman Anthony Becker said they’re looking for a long-term solution for the ISC that involves a bond measure.
The City wants to put a bond measure on the November 2024 ballot to address the City’s $600+ million of total infrastructure needs, not just the ISC.
Becker said directly to the swim community members who attended the meeting that “members of the public should be walking neighborhoods to get people to vote on something like this (bond measure).”
Becker even suggested increasing the amount of the bond measure from $600 million to a billion for no particular reason.
It’ll be interesting to see if the ISC will be a small or large part of a potential bond measure.
Here’s the plan to evaluate the bond measure that was presented last night:
My two kids used to dive there. It’s so sad to see the closure of the pool!
Fort Lauderdale is putting in $190 million building a similar scale swim center and hall of fame along with other facilities. https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/international-swimming-hall-of-fame-complex-to-get-190-million-makeover/3119960/?amp=1
Can Santa Clara learn from them on financing the project and put into action?
The truth of the matter is that nobody on the council is serious about saving the swim center.
The cost of the building a new center would get close to a quarter of a billion dollars and the simple fact of the matter is that this is unaffordable for a small city of 125 thousand residents. Maintaining the aged center as it is is even more unaffordable. The city does not have the funds to pay for the building and maintenance of an Olympic caliber swimming and diving facility that is only used by a tiny percentage of its already small population.
This is very unfortunate. I grew up swimming there and so did everyone I know. The contribution we have made to American swimming achievements is a point of pride for all of us. If the center is to be rebuilt then it will need most of its funding coming from outside the city. There will need to be partnership with a private entity or the county or Santa Clara University or USA Swimming or somebody with big bucks to throw around.
I do not think the people of Santa Clara will vote for a bond measure to finance the rebuilding of the center. If it were inserted into a big bond measure to finance all city capital project needs maybe it would win passage but it also might doom an omnibus bond measure for all capital project needs because the vast majority of the city knows that they have not been using the center enough to want to fund it through additional taxes.
Nobody wants to say this out loud but it seems to be the truth as I see it.
I watched the city council meeting last night via the internet.
Anthony Becker was disgraceful in his insults and deragatory personal attacks on our Mayor. He is unfit in moral character and lack of intelligence. He loves to make comments after other council members have spoken so he can *try* to sound smart parroting what the others said already. His opening lines in his comments frequently start with “I would like to ECHO what councilmember (fill in the blank) said etc etc”. I am so sorry Mayor and Councilmember Watanabe that you have to endure this for hours everytime there is a council meeting. The last 15 or so minutes of last nights meeting was just horrible with the vitriolic Becker ignoring the Mayor’s repeated gaveling of the mayoral hammer for order.
I hope there are some Santa Clara citizens out there who are going to run for city council and bring back our Santa Clara city values and visions. The current 49er 5 are pathetic and are leading our city into a second class place to live. They are the direct reason our beloved International Swim Center has collapsed.
Add in Park’s misogynistic remarks to “defend” the mayor from being accused of gaslighting but instead accused her of having a lack of understanding and incompetence. Isn’t this the same person who compared Deanna Santana to a dog? Where are the repercussions? There are none thanks to this council majority, 49er 5, whatever you want to call them.
They need to go.
Becker is showing his cards now. He wants the Swim community to do all the hard work and create millions of bucks to give the 49ers. He thinks we’re chumps for his payback game. It’s a payback for spending millions of bucks on him during his campaigns. Who knows what else he got that hasn’t been reported. Maybe that comes out in the trial. Can’t wait.
Go to city charter. Section 801 to 819. Read how council members are supposed to stay OUT of financing.
Gillmor and Watanabe have been subject to the most anti women vitriol in city history.
Santa clara was site of first elections by women in South Bay.
Now they are picked on.
How about Mr. Becker goes back to his real owner, the 49rs, and asks them to pay for it.
If they can afford to put $2 million into FAILED bid to make Becker the Mayor, they should have the money to fix the pool.
Hmm. 5 million to defeat Gillmor. 49ers could have donated 2m to swim center and been heroes