Orange Memorial Park to feature 2 new pools

Phillip Vitale, deputy director of Capital Projects, said the main challenge with the current pool is water temperature as some users wish it was cooler while others wish it was warmer. Other issues include crowded and outdated locker rooms, needed updates to pool railings and competing program demands and scheduling. During COVID, the indoor pool had to close entirely and some residents would prefer an outdoor pool and the six-lane pool is not enough to host competitions.

Addressing those needs, the new facility will include one warm water pool for teaching and recreation, and one outdoor cool water pool for laps. The all-electric building will have multiple rooms that could be used as rentable space for parties or a fitness center.

The indoor pool portion of the building will be wrapped in glass to allow connectivity to the rest of the park, according to the staff report.

Councilmember James Coleman said he was a part of the South San Francisco Aquatics Club for 10 years. During his time on the swim club, he said the team was forced to host swim meets and competitions at Oceana High School, which resulted in a loss of revenue for the city.

He also questioned if it was possible to change the design to a 50-meter pool to open up the possibility of larger swim meets.

“Imagine training for track and field versus training for cross country. It’s just a different type of training to make sure that our swimmers have the best training possible,” Coleman said.

Training in a home pool that includes 50-meter practices is very important and will attract higher-level swim meets, such as Junior Olympics to bring in individuals from all over the state.

“These are people who can patronize our local businesses of course but also our hotels,” Coleman said.

Addressing concerns a larger pool could take away from field space, Councilmember Eddie Flores said when he was younger he played soccer at the park with his uncles. Through the community outreach he recalled comments from the Spanish-speaking community that did not want to see the soccer fields taken away.

“The other one [comment] was, of course, they want to continue making it a multiuse facility and I think that is really what we got to do. We got to look at this like it’s not us versus them,” Flores said.

The construction of the pool would not halt swimming because the city plans on building the outdoor pool first and then will use that pool as they begin construction on the indoor facility, according to the report.

The council gave direction to city staff to move forward with the 10-lane, 25-yard pool and the seven-lane indoor pool.

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