HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-03-16; Alga Norte Aquatic Center Weekday Maintenance Hour Closure (District 2); Barberio, GaryTo the members of the:
CITY COUNCIL
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March 16, 2023
Council Memorandum
To:
From:
Honorable Mayor Blackburn and Members of the City Council
Gary Barberio, Deputy City Manager, Community Services
Kyle Lancaster, Parks & Recreation DirectoD
Via: Geoff Patnoe, Assistant City Manager ~
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Carlsbad
Memo ID# 2023024
Re: Alga Norte Aquatic Center Weekday Maintenance Hour Closure (District 2)
This memorandum provides information related to the reinstatement of the weekday
maintenance hour closure for the Alga Norte Aquatic Center and Monroe Street Pool Complex. ·
Background
Up until recent years, the Alga Norte Aquatic Center had been closed for a weekday maintenance
hour, from 8 to 9 a.m. Maintenance closures are a standard practice conducted at many aquatic
facilities.
In the middle of 2017, the weekday maintenance hour closure was suspended, in response to
concerns from the public over not maximizing available swim time. That suspension of the
weekday maintenance hour closure extended through the period of the COVID-19 pandemic
shutdown and modified re-openings, and through the related period of lifeguard shortages.
On January 3, 2023, after a two-week advance notice to aquatic patrons, staff reinstated the
weekday (M-F) maintenance hour closure for the Alga Norte Aquatic Center to address the
maintenance needs of the facility. Staff selected the hour of 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. for the
maintenance closure, to avoid peak demand periods and provide relative consistency with the
weekday (M-F) maintenance hour for the Monroe Street Pool Complex, which had already been
reinstated as 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Approximately a dozen aquatic patrons expressed concern with
staff's selection of 11 a.m . to 12 p.m. for the weekday (M-F) maintenance hour closure, citing a
hardship to their schedule (e.g., inability to swim during a lunch break from work). Staff advised
those aquatic patrons that other viable options for the weekday maintenance hour closure would
continue to be explored.
Discussion
Maintenance hour closures at aquatic facilities with extended operating hours are necessary to
conduct preventative maintenance, required inspections, and perform minor repairs to pool
mechanical equipment and amenities. The maintenance hour closures allow aquatic
Community Services Branch
Parks & Recreation Department
799 Pine Avenue, Suite 200 I Carlsbad, CA 92008 I 442-339-2826 t
Council Memo -Alga Norte Aquatic Center Weekday Maintenance Hour Closure (District 2)
March 16, 2023
Page 2
maintenance staff to undertake several tasks that are not achievable during the public's use of
the pools -tasks which enhance water quality, cleanliness, and safety.
Maintenance tasks during the closure hour include dosing chemicals to meet or exceed industry
safety standards, cleaning locker room drains, manually vacuuming the pools, acid washing pool
decks, inspecting safety equipment and other elements necessary for the longevity of the facility.
Different tasks are prioritized daily based on the assessed needs of the pools and the buildings.
During weekdays (M-F), both the Alga Norte Aquatic Center and the Monroe Street Pool Complex
typically operate up to 15 hours per day -from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. On weekends, both facilities
typically operate up to eight hours per day-from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Given the longer operational
period, there is a greater need to conduct maintenance hour closures at both facilities during
weekdays than during weekends. Staff previously attempted to address basic maintenance tasks
throughout the weekdays but were unable to consistently address certain tasks while the pools
were in use.
The return of the weekday maintenance hour closure was in response to those deferred
maintenance needs and some public feedback on water quality, pool conditions and general
facility cleanliness. On September 12, 2022, upon the return of regular operating hours after the
impacts of COVID-19 and the related lifeguard shortages, staff reinstated the weekday (M-F)
maintenance hour closure at the Monroe Street Pool Complex. Staff selected the hour of
10:30 to 11:30 a.m. for the closure, to avoid peak demand periods. On January 3, 2023, after a
two-week advance notice to aquatic patrons, staff reinstated the weekday (M-F) maintenance
hour closure at the Alga Norte Aquatic Center. Staff selected the hour of 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. for
the closure, in part to achieve relative consistency with the Monroe Street Pool Complex closure.
Staff also determined that resumption of the previous 8 to 9 a.m. maintenance hour closure for
the Alga Norte Aquatic Center was infeasible due to public demand for expanded aquatic
programing, such as swim lessons and water aerobics classes. The 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. hour was
found to cause the least amount of disruption to current aquatic programming while maximizing
utilization of skilled aquatic maintenance supervisory staff during regular working hours. A
maintenance hour closure after 3 p.m. was not considered for either facility due to the facilities
being fully booked with programming, such as rental groups and swim lessons.
Staff have continued to explore other viable options for the weekday maintenance hour closure
at both aquatic facilities and have developed the following adjusted schedule, applicable to both
aquatic facilities.
Facility Maintenance Closure Days Maintenance Closure Hour
Monroe Street Pool Complex Tuesday-Thursday 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Alga Norte Aquatic Center Monday-Wednesday-Friday 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Council Memo -Alga Norte Aquatic Center Weekday Maintenance Hour Closure (District 2)
March 16, 2023
Page 3
This adjusted schedule will return a total of five hours of weekday use to aquatic patrons -two
hours per week at the Monroe Street Pool Complex and three hours per week at the Alga Norte
Aquatic Complex. It is anticipated that the adjusted schedule will still allow staff to address all
the requisite maintenance tasks at both aquatic facilities. Staff is planning to provide advance
notice to patrons and implement this new maintenance hour closure schedule starting
Monday, March 27, 2023.
Next Steps
Staff will notify aquatic patrons of the pending changes to both aquatic facilities' weekday
maintenance hour closures, and will implement the adjusted schedule on
Monday, March 27, 2023. Staff will also continue to monitor the aquatic use and maintenance
needs at both facilities and make additional adjustments as warranted.
cc: Scott Chadwick, City Manager
Cindie McMahon, City Attorney
Allegra Frost, Assistant City Attorney
Mick Calarco, Recreation Services Manager
Todd Reese, Parks Services Manager
Bonnie Elliott, Senior Management Analyst
Ashlee Benson, Recreation Area Manager
Paz Gomez, Deputy City Manager, Public Works
John Maashoff, Fleet & Facilities Manager