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Council selects Option B — 50‑meter Olympic pool and separate recreation pool for Barnes Park
Summary
After months of outreach and two rounds of surveys with more than 1,700 combined responses, the council voted unanimously to advance Option B — a 50‑meter Olympic competition pool plus a 25‑yard recreation pool — and directed staff to use that concept in future grant applications.
The Monterey Park City Council voted unanimously to advance a conceptual design for the Barnes Park aquatic center that centers on a 50‑meter Olympic competition pool paired with a separate 25‑yard recreation pool. Recreation Director Robert Egeri told the council the design follows “robust” community engagement and newly awarded planning grants that allow the city to move into construction design.
Consultants presented three options developed from community workshops and surveys. Daniel Berghhauser, the principal architect, said the team ran a 25‑question survey and hosted multiple public meetings to refine options. Nick McGuire reported that the initial outreach produced 410 respondents, and a follow‑up selection survey produced over 1,300 responses, with “over 60% chose option b,” the option featuring a true 50‑meter pool alongside a recreation pool. The council emphasized operational flexibility: several members said having two separate bodies of water makes it easier to stage maintenance and to program competitive and family activities concurrently.
Community speakers, including Margaret Leung of the Friends of Seniors Foundation and representatives of local schools and swim teams, urged the council to choose a design that supports high school athletics and community access. Leung described SGV Pub’s role coordinating fundraising and asked the council to preserve transparency as funding efforts continue.
Council member Wong made the motion to select Option B and to direct staff to use the selected concept for future grant applications; Council member Goh seconded. Recreation staff said they will work with Public Works on an RFP for construction design and return to council with cost estimates and a timeline. The motion passed on a unanimous vote.
Next steps: staff will pursue full construction design procurement and continue fundraising. Egeri said the $500,000 planning grant will be used for preconstruction design work and that construction costs will still need to be raised; council members estimated total build costs could reach tens of millions and urged continued community support and grant competitiveness.
