In order to save money, the Long Beach City Council is set to vote on a scaled down Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool replacement facility on February 12th. This scaled down version is estimated to cost over $50 million dollars and City Council Members claim that it will be sufficient for current usage. Besides the lack of details, that is where the main problem lies.

Over the years, current usage has continually been restricted by the city, the expanding needs of those who would otherwise use the facility for high-level aquatic competition, and upgraded facility requirements from Competitive governing bodies. The Belmont Plaza Pool already experienced these problems within ten years of construction when the international swimming and diving communities officially adopted metric measurements for International, World and Olympic competition.

Because of these restrictions, "current usage" is not sufficient to support current costs of operation no less justify spending $50 Million for the same level of income. A pretty lap pool with a below standard competitive pool will do nothing to increase community usage.

Without knowing any of the specific numbers, any high school Algebra student could complete this word problem:

If a City plans to incur increased facility cost by $50million and keep current income levels, when will this facility be cost effective? NEVER!

To increase income, the new venue must by necessity be an improvement on current available options to attract increased use - by local teams, local recreation and to attract highly attended competitive swimming, diving, water polo, masters, synchronized swimming events and more. Improving the facility with state-of-the-art facilities will bring the building much closer to justifying the cost and making the Belmont Plaza complex a destination venue for locals and the Aquatic Sports World.

Assistant City Manager, Fricke reminded the audience several times that the money for the proposed new facility would come from the Tidelands Fund which is supported by money paid to the City by major oil companies drilling off-shore on the oil islands. City and Planning representatives repeatedly brought up that the Coastal Commission was dictating that any facility built at the 4000 Olympic Plaza location must have a strong emphasis on recreational use. Disregarding high quality competitive requirements does not increase recreational viability, but building a strictly recreational facility would doom the venture to be a costly white elephant and a drain on the already strapped City resources regardless of any funding coming from Tidelands funds.

The City's other almost strictly recreational use pools at Martin Luther King and Silverado Parks are not used to full capacity. The King pool is closed three days a week and only opened for 3 hours to accommodate McCormick Divers on two of those days since being displaced by the Belmont Plaza Pool. To spend $50 Million for this lack of participation would be a smack in the face of so many other worthy projects. But if the City builds a slightly more expensive, state-of-the-aquatic-arts competitive facility with ample recreational use, it will become a true destination location for aquatic sports competitors, recreational users, aquatic exercise users and more.

There is precedent for this type of high quality, multi-use aquatic facility at major venues in the U.S. and around the world. The most used and cost-effective facilities adhere to all current FINA (the International governing body for swimming, diving, water polo, synchronized swimming, and open water swimming competition) and incorporate recreational features beyond lap and lessons pools. In Australia, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth all have FINA competition facilities with exercise and weight rooms, water feature recreation and multi-use pools used for lessons, competition warm-up and lower level competition. For close to the already projected costs, Long Beach could attract both competitive and recreational users, fulfilling the Coastal Commission mandates, able to support current usage and increasing competitive usage which will not only make the facility more cost effective, but will also bring much needed revenue to the surrounding community.

This would require adjustments to the "non-specific" overview of the proposed facilities being voted on by the City Council Tuesday. Specific requests from the aquatic sports experts attending the meeting include:

• 1. incorporating an indoor diving well with full FINA compliant diving platforms and springboards,

• 2. making the diving well large enough to share with water polo and synchronized swimming teams and events

• 3. incorporating hot tub, warm shower, "bubble", practice belt and dryland area as part of diving well design

• 4. optimal swimming, water polo and synchronized swimming depths in multi-use portions (with consideration of expected FINA requirements in the next few years),

• 5. placing the predominantly competitive use portion indoors,

• 6. making the predominantly recreational portion more park-like and more attractive than just lessons and lap pools,

• 7. add weight room, exercise rooms and therapy rooms.

• 8. consider food court/picnic facilities to attract more recreational use and to serve the competitive community during major events when they can't get out into the community until dinner.

Benefits of FINA Compliant Swimming and Diving Facilities

Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool has remained a choice destination for national and international divers even though it doesn't comply with FINA's metric measurement standards because it is the ONLY indoor facility with a full range of springboards and platform towers - that's Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool's special hook. The City could decide to "bend" to diving community pressure and build the towers, but keep them outdoors. It is still FINA compliant platforms, still at Belmont Plaza, but not the same attraction. It would be like holding the Gran Prix on a stretch of the 710 Freeway from Ocean to PCH and back. It is still a prestigious car race, still on the streets of Long Beach, but not the same attraction.

Because of its indoor location, the diving tower at Belmont has also been a choice location for TV and Movie productions including the television shows House (FOX), Zeke and Luther (Nickelodeon), So You Think You Can Dive (Comedy Central), Community (NBC), films including Angels and Demons, and this summer's Olympics VISA commercial featuring Olympic Gold Medalist, David Boudia.

Long Beach's most recent 10 Meter platform Olympic hopeful, Cole Young (a mechanical engineer with diving and structural engineering expertise that would be invaluable as a consultant for this project) was a stunt diver on the VISA shoot. He had to train at alternate facilities for most of the 12 months leading up to the 2012 Olympic Trials because of the Belmont Plaza closures. Wouldn't it be great for our next 10 Meter platform Olympic hopeful, Brandon Loschiavo, to spend his last few months preparing for the 2016 Olympic Trials at his home pool at Belmont Plaza? Forcing the diving well outside, would make this just like any of the other facilities Loschiavo will be using for training while Belmont Plaza is closed. Just like the other facilities with nothing more special than a beach view from the 10-meter platform. As an indoor venue, the diving well and competition compliant swimming lanes will attract more and higher level events to Long Beach.

With higher level competition, whether swimming, diving, water polo, synchronized swimming or masters swimming, Long Beach benefits from increased revenue at the facility and the surrounding community. A "small" event over 3 days with approximately 200 participants means over 100 hotel rooms rented, over 1800 meals sold as well as vendor sales on-site and shopping visits to Belmont Shore businesses on Second Street and Pine Avenue/Shoreline Village visits as well as recreational amusements at the pool and along the beach between events. From personal experience, the average visiting competitive family spends between $2000 and $4000 in the local community over 3 days. Multiply that by the many hundred more competitors at national and international events, and we have served our local community very well, just through simply forward thinking in the planning for this facility.

As Southern Californians, we also tend to be very jaded about the attraction of our Southern California beach location, but visitors from other parts of the country and even other parts of California who come because the event is being held at California's only indoor facility of its kind, will spend money in Long Beach, visiting local amusement parks and tourist locations. In addition to top-quality competitive facilities, our location is a selling point when bidding on major events like Regional, Zone, National, International, High School, NCSA, PAC-12 and NCAA competition. p>All top competitive aquatic facilities have hot-tubs (Jacuzzi) or at the very least, hot water showers, dryland warm-up and trampoline area, air bubbles to soften the water tension while divers attempt new dives and training belts for new dives. We had all but the hot-tubs at the current facility.

Spectator seating

Most current state-of-the-art aquatic facilities have separated the active pool deck area from the spectator area. Creating a second story spectator area around the indoor facility with traditional portable bleachers around the outdoor area would enhance the viewing and television camera angles (a new broadcast consideration brought up during the Community Meeting). Keeping the athletes separated from the general public during major events also enhances security, poolside access for athletes and officials and safety for all involved. It is the style of seating installed at the new UCLA Spieker stadium (which sadly suffers from spectators facing the sun much of the day -- but that is another outdoor facility issue. And we have already determined that indoor is best for our major competition facility).

Outdoor versus Indoor predominantly recreational use pool

Placing the FINA compliant swim lanes indoors does not preclude them from being used for recreational use. After the first few weeks of extra traffic based on the newness factor, the recreational use will dwindle to current levels. It always does regardless of how nice the facility is, without additional attraction beyond lap pools and weekly lessons. Banishing the competitors to the outdoor section will limit income opportunities. At top venues with high recreational and competitive traffic, swim lanes and diving wells serve several functions throughout the day. It is not unusual for more than one swim club to use 2-3 lanes each while allowing lap swims in the 2-3 remaining lanes on all but competition days. It is not unusual for the facility to hold deep water aerobics in the dive well, followed by lap swims, followed by high school water polo, followed by daily dive practice with simultaneous lap swimming and/or club use of 2 - 5 short course lanes, followed by water polo warm up while diving continues, followed by water polo practice and/or matches or synchronized swimming. This happened daily at Belmont Plaza throughout the 44 years (minus the deep water aerobics and synchronized swimming, but we can always attract that). There are even facilities that have started using the diving well for underwater hockey and water skiing trick practice.

If the outdoor portion is designed for more recreational use, it could incorporate the bulk-head discussed to allow short course competition, lap swim, and deeper water lessons while separating the shallow end area for swim lessons, mommy-and-me, water aerobics and recreation swim. It can have a more park like atmosphere. If moved to the beach side, versus the Bar, Dog Grooming and Pre-school view side, it will attract more recreational swimmers, birthday party reservations and safe swim area for mothers groups, pre-school and school age groups. Jeff Jones, owner of Long Beach Windsurf Center proposed that the plan for an outdoor primarily recreational use could include a removable air pressure cover for weather protection.

Many successful destination facilities have enhanced the recreational portion of the venue with wave pools, water slides, shower or waterspout play areas, even blow up bouncy toys available on special celebrations, many of these features accessed by pool users for additional charge. (As a mom, I've been there, spent that at every major event.)

Value-added weight training, gym and therapy facilities

Most major facilities have weight rooms both for the competitive teams calling the venue home and for membership to the general public. The city doesnâ't even have to supply the equipment. It can just build the space and rent it out to any one of the major chains or even a local private weight training/exercise company. As part of locker room plans, additional space can be provided for physical therapy and sports massage. This too can easily be outsourced.

Value-added food vendor facilities

Like colleges and even high schools, the City can offer value to all facility users, increase income and include local community with a food court or even a food truck vendor area on site. Like the exercise facilities, the city can easily outsource this function, make revenue that won't hurt the local business and will increase value for both recreational and competitive events.

In review, if the bottom of the line plan will cost over $50 Million, why not spend a little more and do it right? Where do we find these additional funds? The City already has sponsor relationships with events like the Toyota Gran Prix, the Ford CIF Masters Championships and more. Is it not feasible to have the Hilton Dive Tank, the Enterprise Rent-a-Car 10 Meter Tower, the Westfield food court and more? If this is built as a true destination venue, we will be able to find sufficient vendors to make up for the additional cost.

Don't sell Long Beach Short! Let's do this right!

Lucy Johnson has launched a Facebook page, "Rebuild Belmont Plaza Pool," at this link.