It’s been nearly two years since the Clairemont Pool at the South Clairemont Recreation Center closed for renovations. Since then, multiple projected reopening dates have come and gone, with little word from the City of San Diego on the reasons for the delays. After extensive inquiries from the community, city representatives finally gave another projected opening date last week, and it won’t make people happy.
The newest timeline for reopening the Clairemont Pool is six to eight more months.
The closure of the Clairemont Pool in October of 2024 has left many local residents without the recreation they rely on, and it’s turned the water polo and swimming and diving teams at Clairemont High School into nomads. The pool was initially supposed to reopen in June of 2025, putting the project more than a year behind schedule to date.
“The pool closure has impacted the aquatics teams at Clairemont [High School] pretty significantly, and we are all frustrated with how long it’s taking to reopen the pool,” said Varsity Water Polo Head Coach Joey Kienle.
Why are the Clairemont Pool repairs taking so long?
As is typical when you dig into the issues concerning the City of San Diego, the information is murky. In 2020, the city awarded a contract to the sole bidder on a request for proposal (RFP) it put out for pool plastering and deck work maintenance services across multiple city pools, including in Clairemont. California Commercial Pools, Inc. was awarded the $12,000,000 contract. That contract included a clause for additional funding, and in 2024, the city awarded California Commercial Pools an additional $3,000,000.
The contract addressed maintenance work at seven pools across San Diego, including Clairemont, Kearny Mesa, Tierrasanta, Martin Luther King, Jr., Swanson, and Vista Terrace.
Why did California Commercial Pools need an additional $3,000,000? They cited unanticipated work, additional work needed due to health and safety concerns, supply chain issues, the number of pools needing work, and work occurring more frequently than expected.
Despite the extra funding, it still wouldn’t cover the needs of the Clairemont Pool.
In February of 2024, a special state grant program allocated another $2,000,000 to the pool. Additionally, the project received $900,000 in citywide Park Development Impact Fee funding and $100,000 in city infrastructure funding. The singularly focused project was later named the South Clairemont Community Park Recreation Center Pool Improvements Project.
While California Commercial Pools’ portion of the work was dedicated to pool and deck work, there are now additional vendors under the current project umbrella. Those vendors include All Around Fence for the perimeter fence work and Knorr Systems for filter installation.
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What work has been completed and what remains to be done?
According to Benny Cartwright, City of San Diego Supervising Public Information Officer, here’s the work that’s been completed:
- Demolition and replacement of the pool deck
- New pool tile
- Pool lighting and electrical upgrades
- Accessibility improvements
- Installation of the new boiler
- Installation of the perimeter fence posts
And this is the work that remains to be done:
- Installation of the fence panels
- Completion of the final plaster work, which is sequenced after the fence installation
- Installation of the pump and new pool filtration system
- Final inspections and project closeout
Cartwright says the city is fully aware of the aggravation this multi-year pool closure has caused. “We understand the community’s frustration and recognize the impact this extended closure has had on swimmers, families, and local schools that rely on Clairemont Pool,” he said. “The remaining schedule depends on several interrelated activities. Because these elements are closely sequenced, each milestone must be completed before the next.”
When asked about the next projected timeline for opening the pool, Cartwright said, “The pool is currently anticipated to reopen within the next six to eight months; however, that timeline remains subject to change.”
He continued, “We are committed to keeping the community informed and will continue providing updates as additional project milestones are achieved and the reopening schedule becomes more certain.”
If the city is able to meet its projections and open the pool next spring, it will have taken two and a half years to complete this project.
I am over there at least once a day and the ONLY thing that has been done is concrete around the pool deck. There is NO POOL tile, there is still the old wood scaffolding in the pool,(which they are probably going to have to rebuild as its been up for over a year) I see NO new lighting I believe this man has NEVER been to the Clairemont pool and there is NEVER anyone working on it.
Interesting. I’m going to send him your comment and I’ll let you know how he responds.
So here was the response I got when I sent your comment to the city: As a follow-up to our initial response, we’d like to share a few more details on recent work at the Clairemont Pool. Many of the upgrades are not clearly visible from outside the construction fence, but work has been underway for quite some time, as laid out previously.
Some of the less visible upgrades include electrical work such as new lighting inside the pool and the installation of a new conduit that was laid and is currently underneath the freshly poured concrete. The lights themselves have not yet been installed to protect them from possible damage before the pool can be filled.
New tile has also been installed, and it will become clearly visible once the plaster is applied and the pool is filled with water. We have attached some photos to show work in action and progress being made on the tile project.
We remain committed to keeping the community informed and will continue providing updates as additional project milestones are achieved and the reopening schedule becomes more certain.
I walk my dog there at least 3 times a week. I was there yesterday and the scaffolding is still up, I can’t see any new tile and I have. Ever in the last 2 years seen anyone working there.
And folks want the government to run their lives? Fools!
Please add a splash pad for the kiddos as other recreation center pools have done for their community. The space is there.
Please join us at 9 am on September 12 on the sidewalk in front of the Clairemont Pool. A community group is meeting there to show the City how important this resource is to our community. The work must be prioritized and the delays must end.