Group Works to Open Pool on Sundays Too

A small band of water lovers who call themselves the Lagunaquatics have pledged to raise enough money this summer to hire a lifeguard so the city’s only community pool can open on Sundays.

The group is hoping to raise $10,000 so the Laguna Beach High School and Community Pool can open for at least four hours on the one day it is now closed, said Carl E. Schwarz, Lagunaquatics president.

The group plans to solicit donations from community service groups and local businesses, Schwarz said, and schedule fund-raisers, including a “Big Splash” one-mile ocean swim.

“We really want to get more family involvement at that pool site,” he said. “This is a time when most families are together and have not been able to use the pool.”

The pool, at 625 Park Ave., is now open at various times Monday through Saturday for swimming lessons, lap swimming, and sports and recreational use.

Though the cost is reasonable--$2 for a “drop-in” swim, $120 for an annual pass--Schwarz said some residents have begun driving elsewhere to take a dip because the local pool’s hours are too limited.

“They’re either going out to Irvine or to Crown Valley,” he said. “We’re losing money. We’re losing a potential clientele group.”

To remedy that, the Lagunaquatics have been making a public splash lately by writing letters to newspaper editors and calling community attention to their cause.

The group formed in 1983 to help find an appropriate site and design for the high school pool, which was built in 1994. The pool was a joint venture between the city and the Laguna Beach Unified School District and is shared by the two entities.

Over the years the Lagunaquatics have been involved in a number of projects. In the school year that just ended, for example, the group’s board of directors “passed the hat” among themselves and collected $750 for a five-week pilot swim program at Thurston Middle School.

Among the group’s long-term goals are creating a so-called dry-land water safety program for elementary school students using videos and other demonstrations to teach youngsters about riptides, basic swim strokes and water survival techniques.

They also hope eventually to make swimming competency a high school graduation requirement.

For the moment, however, they are focusing on expanding the pool hours. Cash is the key, said Pat Barry, the city’s recreation director.

“We do not have enough money budgeted to open up on Sundays,” he said.