Community urges action on Monrovia High pool; board approves architectural studies to explore replacement

Students, parents and longtime residents told the Monrovia Unified School District board on Tuesday that the district’s unusable Monrovia High School pool is damaging athletics, health and community programs, and urged immediate action to plan repairs or replacement.

Gracie Vander Guten, a Monrovia High freshman and member of the school’s water‑polo program, said the loss of a nearby pool forces teams to travel and undermines student health and program continuity. "The pool is a vital resource for students’ health and academic development and it should be the top priority of our school," she said.

Why it matters: District speakers and a string of public commenters argued that fixing the pool would support student athletics, expand community recreation, and strengthen joint funding opportunities with the city. Parent Jessica Feld Perez urged the board to approve the agenda’s architectural item (J7) so design work can begin immediately and the district can be competitive for outside grants, noting a federal grant application route through Congresswoman Judy Chu’s office.

What the board did: The board voted 5‑0 to approve two proposals with Little Diversified Architectural Consulting: a districtwide code analysis and an aquatics options study for Monrovia High School. Consultants said the options study is an early step to visualize pool size, depth and siting and that the contract turnaround is expected in about 30–45 days.

Cost and funding context: Dixon Associates and the architect noted the wide scope of district capital needs while identifying potential funding paths. An architect’s estimate discussed during the presentation put a repair cost "up to about three million" for fixing the existing pool; speakers urged leveraging Measure MM funds as seed money while pursuing state and federal grants. Community members asked the board to consider a joint‑use model with the city and to reserve local bond dollars to make grant matching more competitive.

Voices from the meeting: Parent Karen Dlue asked the board to "set aside 5 million so we can move forward in good faith with our applications and partnerships." Longtime resident Steven Sawyer called a restored aquatic center "a bridge between the school and the wider community," urging collaboration so the pool serves both students and residents.

Next steps: With the contracts approved, district staff and the architects will begin site walks, code review and option development. The board and consultants said those deliverables will be used to shape grant applications and to model cash flows for Measure MM and other matching funds. The board did not commit a specific Measure MM allocation in Tuesday’s votes; further budgeting decisions will follow the studies.