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2023-2024 Begg Pool Modernization Study
How Do I Get Involved?
1. Attend A Begg Pool Community Meeting:
First Meeting: Monday, November 13, 2023 from 6 PM - 8 PM
Manhattan Heights Community Center (1600 Manhattan Beach Boulevard)
Second Meeting: Tuesday, February 27, 2024 from 6 PM - 8 PM
City Council Chambers (1400 Highland Avenue) and Zoom
Zoom Direct URL: https://citymb-info.zoom.us/j/88334561151
2. Attend a Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting
- The Parks and Recreation Commission meets the fourth Monday of every month at 4 PM in the City Council Chambers.
- The Begg Pool Modernization Study will be a general business agenda item at the Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting on March 25, 2024.
3. Attend a City Council Meeting
- The City Council meets on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month at 6 PM in the City Council Chambers.
- The Begg Pool Modernization Study will be a general business agenda item at the City Council Meeting on May 7, 2024.
4. Attend a Manhattan Beach Unified School District Board Meeting
- School Board meetings are typically scheduled on select Wednesdays at 5 PM. Meetings are held at 325 S. Peck Avenue
- The Begg Pool Modernization Study will be discussed at the School Board Meeting on May 15, 2024.
5. Take the Community Survey - closed January 2024.
6. Sign up for project updates and additional opportunities to provide input.
Background
Originally built in the 1950s, Begg Pool is located at 1402 N. Peck Avenue and has served the community for about 80 years.
The pool hosts a variety of recreation programs and classes, including swim lessons, lap swim, swim team, water aerobics, summer camp programs, water safety classes, recreational water play, and required Manhattan Beach Middle School physical education swim classes. The pool is twenty-five yards long, six lanes wide, and approximately four feet deep.
Due to age and deterioration, the Begg Pool facility requires significant pool, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, locker room, and additional upgrades. The City operates Begg Pool as part of a Joint Use Agreement with Manhattan Beach Unified School District(MBUSD), the owner of the parcel.
After a request for proposals and review, HMC Architects was hired to provide recommendations about the following options:
- Renovation of the existing 25-yard shallow pool and support buildings at the current Begg site
- A new community Aquatics Center design to include one 25-yard shallow pool, one 35 meter competition pool, and support buildings at the current Begg site
A 2022 survey showed:
- 41% of residents identified using Begg Pool
- Strengths identified included excellent staff, parking, and water clarity
- Issues included limited availability of programming, limited availability of lanes, pool size and depth, and overall aging, including locker rooms and bathrooms
- 81% of households favor prioritizing a new 35-meter pool for swimming laps, swim competitions, and water sports
- 73% favor a shallow teaching/therapy pool for swim lessons, water aerobics, water therapy, and children’s programming and a wet classroom for teaching CPR, water safety, junior lifeguards, and swim lessons
- A majority of respondents indicated that they or other household members would use an aquatics center built in Manhattan Beach to swim for exercise
- Just under half of respondents anticipated participating in recreational water play.
- Approximately one-third are expected to use the facility for therapy, senior classes, water aerobics, swim lessons, summer camp programs, or swim teams.
The feasibility study was completed in April 2024.
Actions
The City Council provided the following direction at their meeting on May 7, 2024.
Item No. 9: Received and filed a report regarding the Begg Pool Modernization study findings and conceptual design options. Additionally, City Council directed staff to:
- Hire a consultant to conduct a poll regarding community priorities for funding Begg Pool upgrades;
- Continue discussions with the Bay Club regarding their proposal for a new community pool; and
- Research the costs associated with ensuring the pool remains safe for the next two to three years. (VOTE: APPROVED: 5-0).
A statistically valid survey was conducted by True North Research in June 2024 as part of research related to a possible ballot measure establishing a one-half cent sales tax to fund general city services, such as repairing/upgrading community facilities. Begg Pool did not rank as highly as other possible upgrades/funding priorities in the community survey.
A Memorandum of Understanding with the Bay Club Company for exploring the construction and operation of an aquatic facility and related project in cooperation with the City was approved on August 20, 2024.
Staff is currently developing options for priority Begg Pool repairs, including plumbing, pool deck, and fencing, in partnership with the Manhattan Beach Unified School District, owner of the property.