Red Ink Threatens Life of South Bay Swim Club : Enthusiasts Mourn Deterioration, Possible Sale of 40-Year-Old Lomita Facility

It has served future Olympians and civic leaders for about 40 years, but soon the South Bay Swim Club in Lomita may sink in a sea of red ink.

The swimming facility on Lomita Boulevard will be deep-sixed if its present owner does not find someone to take over the property, which includes a 3-meter diving pool, an Olympic-size competition pool, a beginners pool and spa.

The outdoor facility, one of the last private facilities of its kind in the South Bay, has not been operated as a swim club in nearly two years. Plaster and tile pool floors are covered by leaves from neighboring trees. Strong sea breezes clog filters with grit and grime. Decking is chipped and broken.

Despite all that, according to on-site managers David and Evelyn Woodcock, who live in a rear apartment overlooking the facilities, the club still has potential.

“This place just needs tender lovin’ care, that’s all,” said David Woodcock.

Finding someone to provide that care has been difficult for owner K. Nakanishi, who says he would like to see the property remain a swim site, despite tempting offers from developers.

“It’s a real dilemma right now,” Nakanishi said. “I’ll make a decision in a couple of weeks.”

Nakanishi, who acknowledges a “soft spot in his heart” for recreational swimming, purchased the property more than three years ago. The complex also includes a large parking lot, rest rooms, a weight room, meeting rooms, a couple of garages and four rental units. It is valued at about $1 million.

“I am losing money on it now,” Nakanishi said. “It’s not substantial, but it’s enough.”

About a half-dozen potential buyers have surfaced, according to Al Gaspar of Lloyd’s Realty, which manages property for Nakanishi.

“Two have placed deposits (on it),” he said. Among those interested are a termite company, a builder, a local merchant and a fast-food company. All appear to want the property for its location, not as a swim site.

“Nakanishi would prefer to keep it (and lease it as a swim site),” Gaspar said.

A major drawback for swim club suitors has been the price of liability insurance. Nakanishi estimated the annual premium would reach $30,000.

Still, a few local merchants and civic leaders hope Nakanishi can find a way to keep the swim club afloat.

“This facility has a tremendous amount of potential,” said Barry Friedman of Sea d. Sea, a diving shop in Redondo Beach. Friedman is one of the few merchants who still uses the facility. Sea d. Sea uses the diving pool on a limited basis for scuba diving classes.

“No other health facilities around have that (Olympic diving pool). The newer clubs all are strictly lap pools,” he said.

Torrance might be interested in the facility, according to Dan Halladay, a recreation supervisor in charge of the city’s swimming program. When informed by The Times that it was available, Halladay said: “If there is any way we could use it, we would use it. The City of Torrance would lease it.” He said he would check into its availability.

A top priority in a recent Torrance survey of residents was the construction of a public pool, according to Halladay. What makes the South Bay Swim Club ideal for Torrance, he said, is the pool’s proximity to the city limits. The property is just a half-block inside Lomita, which has no interest in saving it.

Said Lomita Director of Parks and Recreation Jerry Somers: “It really isn’t a good swimming facility. The location right on Lomita Boulevard isn’t good for little kids. It would probably take too much money to upgrade.”

Somers pointed to a city survey of “30 or so” South Bay swimming facilities done in 1965 that showed most operating at a deficit. Although he said he could not specifically remember the figures on the South Bay Swim Club, he said he thinks it lost around $6,000 a month that year.

“It was not appropriate for the city to take on that responsibility (then),” he said.

Friedman disagrees.

“It’s one of the last pools,” he said. “We’re without a pool when it shuts down.”

In its heyday, the South Bay Swim Club catered to the elite from Palos Verdes, as well as future swimming stars. Its easy access, near the corner of Crenshaw and Lomita boulevards, made it an ideal stop for Peninsula residents to and from their jobs in greater Los Angeles.

Halladay ran a junior swimming program there. One of his students, UCLA’s Rob Leamy, was a member of the 1984 U. S. Olympic team. He held the world record briefly in the 200-meter freestyle.

“It was a real nice facility,” Halladay said. “People really enjoyed it.”

Halladay’s club, which numbered about 75 swimmers, left in 1981 and eventually merged with several other clubs at the San Pedro YMCA. But he still has fond memories of the South Bay Swim Club.

“If I could afford it, I’d buy it,” he said.

The facilities have been worn down by time and prolonged exposure to the elements since Halladay moved his team.

On a recent day, wind-whipped ripples on the pool surfaces did little to hide cracks in the concrete edges or the filthy pool bottoms.

Evelyn Woodcock was busy pulling weeds that had grown in cracks in the concrete decking. The Woodcocks receive free rent in exchange for overseeing the site.

They say it is difficult to maintain because the pool equipment, including pumps, malfunctions and the pools are not heated, which makes working in and around the cool water difficult, particularly in the winter.

In the weight room, a lone Universal machine and some weathered workout gear are all that remain. David Woodcock said vandals have broken into the room many times, stealing equipment bit by bit.

“I don’t know how many times I have locked this door,” he said, pointing to an open storage area. “And here it is again, open.”

Pieces of a ratty, shredded solar cover is rolled up against a wall beside the Olympic pool, its giant iron roller in the last stages of decay.

“When we came here, this was green,” Evelyn Woodcock said pointing to the central pool. “You couldn’t see the bottom.”

Because the suction on the pumps is poor, she said, she considers it a victory now if the pool has just a layer of dirt on its floor.

“I don’t understand why the City of Lomita doesn’t do anything with this for the kids,” said Evelyn Woodcock, who grew up in nearby Wilmington. “This could be a really, really nice place.”