Laguna Beach ratifies strategic priorities; seeks lease with school district for pool use, asks long‑term feasibility review for alternative pool sites

The Laguna Beach City Council ratified a set of strategic priorities and directed staff to seek a rental or leasing arrangement with the Laguna Beach Unified School District that would allow the city to operate youth swim lessons, lap swimming and adult water‑exercise programs in a renovated and expanded 45‑meter pool.

City Manager Dave Kiff summarized the council’s direction: “The direction given was to seek a rental or leasing arrangement with the district that would allow the city to operate at a minimum youth swim lessons, lap swimming, and adult water exercise in a renovated and expanded pool,” he told the council. The council also agreed, as a near‑term decision, not to continue separate study of a distinct city pool project, while asking the facilities master plan consultant to include a long‑term feasibility analysis of potential pool sites at the former St. Catherine’s (LBCRC) and Lang Park.

Why it matters: public swimming programs and pool access have been recurring topics in Laguna Beach. Supporters told the council the city should preserve swimming programs that serve youth and adults while the school district advances its own pool modernization work. Laura Giamani, a resident and parent, said she backs the school district project and asked the city to confirm it will not pursue a separate pool study that could undermine the district effort: “I support the LBUSD pool modernization project for a 45 meter pool,” she said.

Public response at the meeting was mixed but focused on keeping community swim programs available. Gary Casick of Sensible Laguna urged the council not to abandon pursuit of a community pool entirely and asked the city to maintain options and partnerships. Village Laguna president Merrill Anderson urged the council to prioritize safety, sustainability and cultural preservation when allocating scarce resources.

Council discussion and amendment: council members debated the level of study to authorize. Several council members said they did not want an expanded study program now, citing competing capital priorities and near‑term needs such as wildfire mitigation and downtown economic measures. To resolve differing views the council adopted a friendly amendment asking the facilities master plan vendor to include a targeted long‑term feasibility analysis — a ‘‘block‑level’’ study that tests whether a pool could be sited and supported at LBCRC or at Lang Park — while the council moves forward to negotiate joint‑use and lease options with the school district.

Outcome and next steps: the council voted to ratify the strategic priorities and the pool direction on a unanimous voice vote. Staff will pursue a rental/lease arrangement with the Laguna Beach Unified School District and the facilities master plan will include the requested long‑term feasibility checks for potential pool sites. Council members said the lease/joint‑use approach is intended to preserve community programs (swim lessons, lap swim, water exercise and splash ball) while the district advances its modernization work; the city will return with details as the joint‑use negotiation proceeds.

Other items in the strategic priorities discussion included directing staff to pursue near‑term economic‑development actions (selected early actions for downtown corridors) and to refine revenue and fee reviews for inclusion in the upcoming budget process. Members of the public and business groups urged the council to focus spending on public safety and to provide clearer price tags when discussing lower‑priority projects.