TITLE
Recommendation to direct City Manager and the Parks, Recreation, and Marine Department to explore the feasibility of, locations for, and funding options for the construction of a public pool to serve the North Long Beach community and return to council with a report within 120 days.
DISCUSSION
The 90805 zip code is largest zip code in the city, hope to 90,000 people, and home to more children than any other district in the city. Despite being the hottest council district by average temperature, Long Beach’s 9th District is unique among council districts in its lack of a year-round public pool within 4 miles of the district border.1 The city of Long Beach should evaluate closing this critical gap by evaluating the creation of the city’s fourth public pool, located in North Long Beach.
|
Council District |
Distance to Nearest Public Pool (in miles) |
|
1 |
1.28 |
|
2 |
1.99 |
|
3 |
0 |
|
4 |
3.06 |
|
5 |
3.44 |
|
6 |
0 |
|
7 |
0 |
|
8 |
2.07 |
|
9 |
4.57 |
Public pools provide important exercise facilities, offer a space for social gathering, and allow year-round access to aquatic sports equipment for members of the community. The positive public health impacts of public pools are well established. In a 2003 study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, researchers discovered that “use of [a] pool facility for social contact was directly linked to reports of relief of stress and isolation, and improved mental health,” and “[a] pool opening was associated with local area regeneration.”2 In the realm of physical health, the British Journal of Medicine reported in 2017 that swimmers faced a 41% lower risk of death due to heart disease and stroke compared to non-swimmers.3
Though the YMCA, Pools of Hope, and Jordan High School all have pools in the 9th District, the YMCA and Pools of Hope pools are not open to the public, and Jordan High School’s pool is only open in the summer, with limited capacity.
In a city where beachgoing is also a common recreational activity, providing easier access to swimming lessons for young children is also an important public safety priority. A new North Long Beach pool would give parents the ability to send their children to swimming lessons if their schedules during the summer conflict with the currently available swim times at Jordan High School.
Finally, an investment in a public recreational space is also an investment in youth. A pool in North Long Beach would provide after-school opportunities for elementary and middle-school aged children to participate in aquatic sports. The same BJM study referenced above also showed that swimming starting from a young age had positive effects on youth development, the promotion of which is of vital importance to our city’s future.
For the above reasons, and in order to ensure Long Beach’s long and storied history of aquatic sports can be shared by all, the establishment of a public pool in the 9th Council District should be explored.
FISCAL IMPACT
No Financial Management review was able to be conducted due to the urgency and time sensitivity of this item.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
REX RICHARDSON,
VICE MAYOR NINTH DISTRICT
MARY ZENDEJAS,
COUNCILWOMAN FIRST DISTRICT
SUZIE PRICE,
COUNCILWOMAN THIRD DISTRICT
AL AUSTIN,
COUNCILMEMBER EIGHTH DISTRICT