OCEANSIDE — Much needed renovations, and financial support, are coming to the city’s Brooks Street Swim Center.
Earlier this month, the Oceanside City Council approved nearly $1.2 million in funding from a combination of state, county and federal dollars to be used for updates to the 60-year-old pool.
Brooks Street Swim Center has already undergone several renovations throughout its lifetime of serving the community. Historically, the pool has served the city’s senior citizens and low-income neighborhoods of District 1. The aquatic center is currently home to Oceanside High School water polo and swim teams.
The pool also previously hosted El Camino High School aquatic sports as well before the teams were moved to the new William A. Wagner Aquatics Center, which is closer to El Camino’s campus.
With the opening of the new aquatics center last August, the city’s Parks and Recreation division identified the need to renovate both Brooks Street and Marshall Street pools.
Brooks Street’s current deck, plaster and mechanical equipment have reached the end of their useful lives, which staff says could create hazards for community members who use the pool if left unaddressed.
The pool was almost closed last February when the City Council considered deferring its budget over to the new aquatics center, but a huge outcry from local residents quickly squashed that suggestion.
“In a city where the waves can pull you under, resources like the Brooks Street pool are essential,” Oceanside resident and coach CJ Malauulu told The Coast News last year.
In the fall, Assemblywoman Tasha Boerner-Horvath (D-Encinitas) announced she had secured $600,000 in grant funding to be used for Brooks Street pool renovations.
Following that, staff requested another $289,000 from the County of San Diego’s Neighborhood Reinvestment Program for the pool, which was awarded to the city in November. The city had also committed a $289,000 match of its own funds, which will come from its American Rescue Plan Act Lost Revenue funds.
Altogether, a total of $1,178,000 has been committed to the renovation of the Brooks Street pool. Parks and Recreation will be responsible for administering the grants, including reporting and financial management of their funds, and will be working with the city’s Engineering Division on the project.
Requests for design proposals will likely go out by the spring with construction anticipated to start next winter. The project is expected to take five to seven months.
