An increase in rental rates for the pool at the Joint Forces Training Base is just one of many pool operation changes to come about in the near future.
Starting March 1, JFTB’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation department will assume control of maintenance and operation of the currently city-managed pool on the base.
That will mark the beginning of a transition period, which is expected to last until Aug. 31.
During that time, JFTB “will allow [Los Al] to continue to act as scheduler for the pool at $150/hour,” reads a city staff report.
Los Al Mayor Richard Murphy said that number looks to have dropped to just under a $100/hour following a meeting with Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Reddicks and his team on Feb. 1. Murphy also said the city would potentially get a break for the first couple of months at a rate of “low 60s to 70s an hour.”
Following the transition period, MWR would oversee the entire operation of the pool including scheduling.
How local non-profits, water polo and swim teams that use the pool will fit into the scheme of things is still unclear.
All this is coming about as a 20-year-old agreement is set to expire Sept. 1. A modification to the agreement in 1998 gave Los Alamitos joint-control of the pool as well as the responsibilities of renovating, maintaining and operating the fairly unused pool at the time.
Since then, Los Alamitos “spent millions of dollars in upgrades, renovations, daily maintenance and operations of the pool,” reads a staff report.
Today, this information and more comes to the desk of Los Al’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Commission in the form of a pool update at its monthly meeting at 7 p.m.
The commission will be looking to aid the city council in deciding how involved the city should remain.
Swimming lessons, lap swimming, water aerobics, master’s swimming and other programs funded by the city will be looked at to determine if Los Al can continue to do so under the expected rate increase.
How the city will handle nonprofits renting the pool is still yet to be determined.
Options that will be brought up in the pool update offers paying the difference for club teams and nonprofits that currently rent the pool regularly.
The City’s current rental charge ranges from $20 to $60 depending on the group. Los Al would be looking at roughly $70 or more in subsidized payment each time a nonprofit group rents the pool under the increase.
The City could also choose to have the groups pay the full amount and stay out of that process all together. A final option listed would have those who currently rent the pool through the city go directly to the MWR department and schedule pool time themselves.
The pool update states that groups have already expressed concerned over the increase and said they would look for alternative location to run their programs.
