Bellflower : New Swim Pool to Be Built, Old One Renovated

For years, Thompson Park employees have turned away swimmers because of overcrowding. But Bellflower city officials plan to alleviate the problem early next year, pending state approval, by renovating the park’s deteriorating 34-year-old pool and building a new one at an estimated cost of $1.3 million.

The city has received $840,000 from the state to help fund the project. A special grant of $650,000 was allocated, plus $190,000 from a state bond, Deputy City Administrator Nelson Oliva said. The rest of the money will come from more state bonds, federal grants and corporate grants. But, the state Department of Parks and Recreation has to approve the final construction plans, Oliva said.

Renovation of the indoor pool will cost about $600,000, Oliva said, and the new pool will cost about $700,000. The pool is open to Bellflower’s 60,000 residents as well as those of surrounding communities.

City officials said that an adjacent swimming pool is needed in Bellflower because the existing pool, which is 75 feet long and 50 feet wide, is not large enough to accommodate summer crowds. The new pool, which will be 75 feet wide and 104 feet long, will be used as a backup for the hundreds of swimmers who are turned away each day during the peak summer months. It will be designed for invitational swimming competition and other aquatic sports.

The indoor pool area needs to be reconditioned because of poor ventilation, a faulty roof and ceiling, and a deteriorating plumbing system, Oliva said. A new gutter system is needed to improve the pool’s filter system, which constantly plugs up during the summer, forcing park employees to turn people away.

Park employees estimate that about 500 people a day use the pool during the summer, with 200 swimmers allowed in at one session. When the new pool is built, 700 swimmers will be allowed in at one time.