By Robert Haugh
The Santa Clara City Council voted to ignore City staff recommendations and keep the legendary George F. Haines International Swim Center (ISC) open. But it will be in a limited capacity.
City Manager Jovan Grogan and Acting Parks and Recreation Director Cynthia Boroquez strongly recommended closing the facility rather than investing approximately $2 million to keep it open for 200 swimmers at a time.
City staff wanted to drain the pools and install covers at an estimated cost of $100,000 to $200,000. Then, wait for a future bond measure to fund the building of a new facility.
The ISC was closed suddenly in January 2024 due to safety concerns. City staff recommended the facility remain closed while a new, permanent solution is developed.
Three aquatics clubs rely on the ISC for practice space and have had to use other smaller pools in Santa Clara and other cities.
Mayor Lisa Gillmor asked: “If we shutter this pool and let it go how long will it take to get a new facility if it happens at all?
“I have the opinion that if we shutter it we’re shuttering it almost for good.”
The Council rejected the Staff recommendation.
Councilmember Kathy Watanabe made the motion and Councilmember Anthony Becker seconded it.
The vote was 6-1. Councilmember Karen Hardy was the only no vote.
“I feel this motion is fiscally irresponsible,” Hardy said.
This temporary solution prioritizes the needs of the swim clubs and Mission City residents who use the pool while a permanent solution is planned.
The Council also voted to remove a short-term modular pool option from consideration.
1) The pool should have never been closed for “Safety Violations” in the first place. Moreover, the millions quoted to just make the pool safe to swim in – is insane. I don’t know how Mr Grogan can report those findings without extreme embarrassment. Mr Grogan is either a fool who has never entered the pool, or sly like a fox hoping to use a new Pool to help pass the $600m bond, or possibly pry it out of North Santa Clara developers hands.
2) Given that the report is hyperbole in the extreme, they should not spend very much money to make the pool “safe”, and the majority of the funds should be used for a full rehab/reconstruction, hopefully in the next 3-4 years. The changing rooms were shut for well over a year for covid, and did not effect swimmers that much.
3) Santa Clara may not have the money for reconstruction, and in that case the voters need to ask: Why? Santa Clara could afford it in 1967. We have become relatively poorer, even though we are the HQ for the THE most valuable corporation on planet earth (Nvidia)? Why hasn’t the solar structure been upgraded to PV like every school parking lot in the valley? Sacramento recently opened the fantastic North Natomas aquatics&community center with a 50m pool, a 25yd pool, a splash/play are and water slides and basketball court sized community center for $12m! https://www.aquaticdesigngroup.com/north-natomas. Developers kicked in $20m, School district kicked in $10m and it only cost The City of Sacramento $12m.
Mt View rebuilt and expanded the Rengstorf pool (still under construction) for $19.5m.
Tiny little Delano Ca, (pop 51k, budget $90m) just opened a very nice aquatics center for $6m. https://www.cityofdelano.org/bids.aspx?bidID=278. (closer in size, but > Gomez or Warburton)
Tend to Agree with comments above that the swim club could probably kick in more than they have, but less than they are currently shelling out. Many cities would love to have a large regional swim club to help fund a community amenity.
Santa Clara does not have many things that have achieved international reknown. Yet
city government could not even keep this up. Renovation should have been planned and funded years ago.
The 49er Five should have asked Jed for the money. It would have been a public relations win for him.
Back in 2012, Gillmor made those suggestions as did a half dozen other officials. York ignored it. For 5 million for a Becker, Jain, Park. SWIM CENTER IS IN PARK’s District.
I agree on spending the $100-200k to reopen ISC, parks is building a new playground across the creek at a cost of $4 million what’s a$100k. And even if this funny money bond passes it would be a couple of years before it’s completed. And on the bond measure, if our city manager is telling us he can’t say where the money will be spent on. Then I will be voting NO to a blank check bond measure. If he can’t figure it out then he is over his head at his job. He’s getting paid big bucks so figure it out or move on.
Adam,
The new playground in Central Park is about forty percent paid for by the city and the rest of the money is coming from the county and the state.
And it is going to cost almost two million dollars to reopen the swim center on a very limited basis. The 100 to 200 thousand figure was the cost of mothballing the swim center until funding for a rebuilding could be found.
I stand corrected Bucher Alum, thanks for the clarification on the amounts.
Thank you for posting this. I am a little less frustrated now.
The motion was fiscally irresponsible? Hah! Gee, Hardy-har-har, wish you said that to Sudsy when he wasted $500,000+ on a ballot measure that backfired to get rid the elected police.
Less Frustrated ISC Parent,
Did you say anything to Mayor Gillmor or anyone in favor of the fight against district elections that backfired and ended up costing us more than ten times the failed police chief ballot measure? I did not support putting this on the ballot as a measure because it was obvious it would fail but the exact same thing could be said of the failed effort to fight district elections and that cost us all around six million dollars in total.
Even though spending almost two million dollars for this temporary kicking of the can down the curb is a huge expense to benefit only a tiny percentage of Santa Clara I am not upset that it was done if it can give time to find a permanent solution.
But I do not think it is justified or likely that the permanent solution can be that all of Santa Clara pays a huge amount of money to subsidize the full reopening or ongoing maintenance of an olympic caliber swimming center.
What is the swim club doing to try to find the funding that is necessary to do this? Are there any other efforts going on and are they likely to bear fruit or does it all depend on all the people of Santa Clara deciding that its worth it to pay it?
What is wrong with the pool?
Apparently there was a Baby Ruth candy bar floating in the water that cleared the pool
Mark,
The swim center is in a bad state of repair and the infrastructure is very old and outdated and is much more expensive to maintain or repair. The center has been determined to be unsafe for use and either extra expensive ongoing work needs to be done or even more expensive replacement needs to be done.
Congrats to swim center advocates. News from New York, Squad bully Jamal Bowman is out. Sc Squad Members Jain and Park next. Attn pro Israel voters—‘Park is not your friend.
None of this has any bearing on Santa Clara matters or politics.
Who you gonna replace them with? Genocide supporters should be ashamed and stand up against hate in Santa Clara.