A Little Help May Save Underused Pools : City, community leaders should step in to promote and raise money for swim facilities

Here’s a phrase you simply don’t hear around the nation at this time of year: seldom-used city-owned pool. But here in the San Fernando Valley, allegedly the swimming pool capital of the nation, we have a pool that is accurately described by that phrase. Hubert Humphrey Pool in Pacoima now has the dubious distinction of being the Valley’s least-used city-owned pool. There are two reasons for this, and both have rather simple solutions.

We know that the seemingly insignificant swim fees at county-owned pools ($1) and city-owned pools (75 cents) are a hardship for poor families. Swim fees were responsible for a 40% decline in recreational swimming in north Los Angeles County last year. At El Cariso Pool in Sylmar, recreational swims fell by nearly half.

But the same situation arose last summer, in the case of Will Rogers Park Pool in Watts and others. At the time, County Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke took matters in hand to raise significant monetary contributions from corporate and private sources. The same could be done this year for city-owned pools, perhaps by the likes of City Councilman Richard Alarcon and others.

The ironic thing here is that the pool in Watts had also been marred by violence, including injuries to six lifeguards. That is not the case at Pacoima’s Hubert Humphrey Pool.

It’s true that the Pacoima facility is located in an area that has seen street gang activity, but the pool is an oasis, unperturbed and safe. On a recent visit to the pool, Times reporter Jocelyn Stewart found only a handful of mothers and children there, and they had the place to themselves.

In such instances, we think elected officials and community leaders can do much. Organizing some kind of event that would highlight the safety and availability of this underused public resource would be a good idea.

If the lack of use continues, we wouldn’t be surprised if some City Hall bean-counter suggested reduced hours and days of operation at that and other little-used city facilities.