Swimmers will no longer feel the heat from the Swanson Pool closure this spring, as District 1 City Councilman Scott Peters found $72,719 to keep the pool open from March 5 to May 14. City council unanimously approved the proposal on Tuesday, March 7.
Peters will use $72,719 in Proposition 40 bonds to ensure the pool stays open from March through May. The pool was expected to close during the spring months due to the city’s gaping budget deficit. The pool will still be closed from May 15 to June 11 for maintenance work. Approximately 2,000 people use the pool each month.
The California Resources Bond (Prop 40) is intended to finance capital projects, such as the University City Gardens’ bathroom that opened on Saturday, March 4. District 1’s share of the funds amounts to $757,719, so Swanson Pool would cut into approximately 10 percent of that money, according to Carol Wood, Grants Administrator with the City of San Diego Park and Recreation Department.
“Several other council officers have also chosen to use money in the same way,” Wood said.