Stroke of Luck for Young Swimmers

Adults in Redondo Beach will have to pay an extra dollar this summer to swim in the city’s public pools, but the price for children will remain at 50 cents, thanks to a last-minute plea to the City Council from a 10-year-old girl.

Based on pool rates in other South Bay cities, Parks and Recreation Director Robert B. Atkinson had recommended doubling admission prices this summer at the Mira Costa and Redondo high school pools to $1 for children and $2 for adults for each two-hour recreational swim period.

In a memo to the City Council, Atkinson noted that 90% of the people who use the pool are children and that raising the admission fee for them would bring in significantly more money than the $4,000 collected last summer in pool fees.

But that idea didn’t go over well with Vanessa Bopp, who presented the council with a petition signed by herself and 62 other children who opposed any increase in pool fees.

“How are kids supposed to come up with a dollar?” the little girl asked the council. “What do you think we are? Rich? Money trees?”

Council members chuckled and voted unanimously not to raise the price for youngsters.