I’ve been covering the Seal Beach community swimming pool project since 2008. I still have a PDF of the original 2008 consultant’s report recommending the replacement of the McGaugh Pool.
It’s 2023 and no decision has been made yet.
Yet someone heard or read a rumor someplace that the city was going to replace the pool with pickleball courts.
They posted the notion on a social media platform.
In fairness, I think they believed it was true. A source I’ve found to be trustworthy mentioned the social media post to me even as they scoffed at the rumor.
Since I’d never heard this one before, I contacted Recreation Manager Tim Kelsey.
Both Recreation Manager Tim Kelsey and Assistant City Manager Patrick Gallegos spiked the pickleball story.
Kelsey wrote on April 26: “I am not sure where this rumor has come from. Patrick can provide you with a more detailed update on the pool project. He is CC’d on this email.”
Gallegos wrote on April 26: “No decision on the pool has been made at this time; however, I can confirm that there is no validity to the rumor that the swimming pool is being replaced with pickleball courts. CIP projects, including the swimming pool, are scheduled to be discussed at the upcoming CIP workshop on May 2nd. This meeting is open to the public and the City welcomes participation by the public.”
Item: Whatever ideas staff members, consultants, or the public throw around, legally the council has to make a decision in open session to do anything about the pool.
Item: During the April 2023 Strategic Planning Workshop, the remaining funds were put at $4.5 million.
Background: If you’d like to see a history of the swimming pool project from 2008 to 2022, see: “Seal Beach swimming pool project: a chronology of events,” at sunnews.org. Since that chronology was published last year, another consultant’s feasibility study concluded (for the second time) that the McGaugh swimming pool was past its useful life.
Seal Beach record portal follow up
I would have reported this sooner, space is limited.
As reported in the April 13 Sun, city staff answered three of four questions about the online Public Records Act Request Portal.
I requested clarification of the first answer—which I’ll repeat for clarity’s sake—and asked my fourth question again in an email to Assistant City Manager Patrick Gallegos.
My original first question, which Gallegos answered on April 7, was:
Sun: “Why aren’t all records requests visible to the public on the site?”
Gallegos: “The City’s NextRequest system is an internal organizational tool that assists City staff with efficiently responding to the numerous records requests received by the City each year. In the event that a member of the public wishes to view any records requests, such requests are generally public records and may be disclosed upon request.”
On April 17, I received the following replies to my questions, which I sent on April 10.
Sun: “Thanks. About your answer to my first question, I’d like some clarification. You appear to be saying that if a member of the public wants to see other people’s public record requests, they have to file a public record request. Is that correct?
Gallegos: “In the event that a member of the public wishes to view any public records, they are required to submit a public records request including to view other people’s requests.”
Local Animal Control goes live July 1
The City Council got the news at the Monday, May 1, budget workshop. Seal Beach Police Lt. Julia Clasby confirmed the news in a May 2 text message.
Tomorrow, May 5, is the deadline for the vacation rental permit lottery
The deadline to put in for the short-term rental permit lottery is Friday, May 5. The city manager’s newsletter (available on the city website) did not provide a time. Item: all short-term rentals must be south of Westminster Boulevard.
More on Seal Beach’s in lieu parking fees
Some readers may recall that I recently asked about the fees the city charges when businesses can’t provide actual parking spaces. (See my Reporter’s Notebook, “Public records, in lieu parking fees, and other news,” at sunnews.org.) As the Sun previously reported, in an April 6 email, Finance Director/Treasurer Barbara Arenado wrote that the funds are set aside for parking-related capital improvement projects. On April 6, I asked: “What parking-related capital improvement projects are currently taking place in Seal Beach?”
On April 17, Arenado wrote: “There are no planned parking capital projects related to this funding source.”
Public Works deputy director update
When Iris Lee was made director of Public Works, the city needed a new deputy director for that department.
I noticed that a recent job listing for that position had disappeared. (See next entry.) I asked City Manager Jill Ingram about it.
“The City is no longer recruiting for a new deputy director of public works, as we have a candidate in the pre-employment background process. As with all our new hires, I anticipate we will make an announcement and introduce our new deputy director within the next few weeks,” Ingram wrote on May 1.
