LONG BEACH CA-  On Oct. 10th the city approved further plans for a new Belmont pool, and will now move to the Coastal Commission. The Belmont has a lot of history in Long Beach, the pool was first built in 1968 and has been an important part of Long Beach Aquatics. Long Beach prides itself on being the “Aquatics capital of America” but the city pool is often being repaired and was built to only be a temporary pool. 

From 1968 to 2013 the Belmont pool was a 50m T-shaped pool but it was declared not earthquake-safe in 2013. It was decided to build a temporary pool while they designed and found the money for a new pool, and now 10 years later it is still that temporary pool. The current pool used was never made to be a permanent pool and it shows. 

Over the last ten years, it has only become more expensive to build a new pool causing the plans to build the Belmont to be denied every time it was brought up at city meetings. Until the meeting on Oct. 10th where it was overwhelmingly approved 9-0 in favor of furthering the plans of building the new pool. Now that it has been approved it will now go to the Coastal Commission where they will offer changes to prevent environmental damage. 

This pool means a lot to students and Coaches here at Wilson, both personally and professionally. Coach Zac Polmanteer spoke about the importance of this pool to Wilson saying “It’s a place for Wilson where we can make sure that generations to come will be aquatically informed and water safe and maybe even the highest level competitive.” Coach Brandon D’Sa said this pool is “everything” to Wilson. 

This is also important because to the community, D’sa spoke about his history with Belmont saying “This new pool means so much to myself … every generation of my family has gotten to enjoy and learn from. My grandfather started out swimming in this pool, learning at the YMCA but then moving to the Belmont to practice and play games. My mom did the same thing and now it’s come to me.”  

This pool is more than just a pool, this is a place of memories for many and a piece of their future. During the city meeting, many children as young as 9 or 10 stepped up to ask for a new pool. This pool is not just Long Beach’s history but is a part of its future. A new Belmont means something different to everyone Polmanteer said to him “to get that water back or to see it be given a new life gives me hope for the future and reminds me why I play this sport in the first place.”