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Carlsbad staff detail pool replacements, Alga Norte closure and new park projects
Summary
Park Services Manager Todd Reese told the commission that Alga Norte will close about Nov. 12 for restroom and replastering work through mid–late February 2025, the Monroe Street pool replacement has $18 million-plus authorized and bids are due Dec. 5 with construction planned for 2025–2026, and Stagecoach garden and pickleball court projects are advancing.
Park Services Manager Todd Reese presented the commission with a series of capital-project updates at the Oct. 21 meeting, covering community gardens, pool renovations, a major pool replacement and a multi-site pickleball project.
Reese said the Stagecoach Community Garden is a repurposing of a former maintenance yard into approximately 34–35 raised plots with a central shaded seating area, storage for tools and ADA-accessible plots; city council awarded the contract on July 23, preconstruction took place Aug. 29, mobilization began Oct. 1, and staff expect to complete the garden by the end of 2025.
On aquatic facilities, Reese described two concurrent projects at Alga Norte Aquatic Center: restroom renovations and replastering of pools (including the 56-meter competition pool, a 25-meter instructional pool and a hydrotherapy spa). Council awarded contracts on Oct. 8 and construction is expected to begin around Nov. 12 with a roughly three-month partial closing through mid-to-late February 2025. Staff emphasized contingency planning for demo discoveries or weather-related delays and said they are coordinating with user groups to develop alternate plans if needed.
Reese then reviewed the Monroe Street pool replacement, a larger project for which the city council on Sept. 10 approved replacement plan specifications and appropriated just over $18,000,000 toward construction funding. The proposed facility is a 33-meter pool with 15 lanes, additional parking, family restrooms, upgraded locker rooms, solar water heating and other amenities. Bids for the project are due by Dec. 5; staff anticipate returning to city council on Jan. 14, 2025, to award a construction contract and plan for a closure period in spring 2025 that would run through 2026.
On staffing during closures, staff said they are coordinating with the human resources department to accommodate as many employees as possible at alternate facilities, reassign part-time staff to other department needs, seek temporary placements with other city departments, and recruit additional lifeguards if necessary.
Reese also provided the latest on an eight-court pickleball program at multiple parks, saying preliminary designs are complete and the build-out is expected through 2026, with refinements underway to address setbacks from residences and ADA access. He invited follow-up questions from commissioners about promotion, scheduling and design choices.
Commissioners thanked staff for the updates and were invited to review design imagery when staff return with additional perspectives next month.
