Pool plan going swimmingly

The long-awaited $5.3-million public pool at Pacific Park is on track for its scheduled June 4 opening — more than six years after City Councilman Ara Najarian began lobbying hard for a replacement for the city’s only public municipal pool.

Crews from Glendale-based Hopkins Construction, which also built the new Adult Recreation Center, have been working around the clock to get the pool open in time for summer, officials said. The pool was filled with water last week, while crews work on final construction details.

“It’s very exciting to have this available for the community, and it’s honestly a tribute to the staff that do the work,” said Dave Ahern, capital projects administrator for the Community Services & Parks Department.

Residents have access to pools at some local high schools, but the city has lacked a public municipal pool since one was demolished to make way for the joint city project with Edison Elementary School in 2003.