After more than a decade of planning and funding challenges, the Long Beach City Council may finally move forward with plans to renovate the Belmont Plaza Pool.

Councilmembers will consider the final plan to approve the project during its Tuesday, Jan. 20, meeting. City leaders would have to approve the project that day in order for it to be completed by 2028, in time for the Olympic and Paralympic Games that summer, officials said.

Mayor Rex Richardson announced plans to advance the Belmont Pool renovation project during this year’s State of the City address.

“The Belmont Pool has always been a symbol of Long Beach’s connection to the water,” Richardson said in a statement. “Advancing this project means preserving a historic asset, expanding public access, and ensuring future generations can swim, train and gather at one of our city’s most iconic sites.”

Long Beach has been working on renovating the area for several years, starting in 2014, and went out to bid in the fall. Throughout that time, the project has faced issues with funding gaps and too few construction bids.

In 2022, for example, at the conclusion of the construction document phase, the funding gap for the previously approved project had grown to more than $50 million, despite the implementation of significant phasing and value-engineering strategies, according to the staff report. Rising energy prices and material cost escalations also drove projected annual operations and maintenance costs for the facility to exceed $6 million annually.

The total estimated cost for the project had been $74-$78 million, but with ongoing material cost increases, global trade uncertainty caused by U.S. tariff policy and a constrained labor market, that amount may have changed.

After a revised project and rebidding process, city staff are now recommending that the council award a contract to Bernards Bros., Inc., for the construction of the Belmont Beach and Aquatics Center, not to exceed $59.8 million. The council would also have to approve increased funds for the project, including $24.5 million from tidelands and $2 million in the capital projects fund, according to the staff report.

The Belmont Beach and Aquatic Center Project – to be located at the Belmont Plaza Pool – is designed to engage, instruct and train public aquatic users while providing inclusive and accessible recreational water space for the Long Beach community, according to the staff report. It will include two new pools for all ages, abilities and entry levels, and will have a zero-depth pool entrance and pool lifts to increase access for all residents.

For more information on the Belmont Beach and Aquatic Center Project, visit belmontpool.com.

Other agenda items

Long Beach has also reached a tentative labor agreement with the Long Beach Police Officers Association, which will help the Police Department remain competitive with other agencies seeking quality officers, address issues of recruitment and retention, and incentivize critical skill sets, according to city officials.

The City Council will vote on whether to approve the three-year contract for the Police Officers Association, which would run retroactively from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, 2028.

Councilmembers will also consider an amendment to the city’s municipal code to revise certain speed limits and add a new section authorizing a 25 mph speed limit on streets adjacent to public parks with playgrounds when children are expected to use the facilities.

This effort would be part of the city’s Safe Streets Long Beach Vision Zero Action Plan, which prioritizes strategies to reduce vehicle speeds, with particular emphasis on neighborhood streets and locations where children gather, such as schools and parks, according to the staff report.

During the council meeting, there will also be a presentation of the Martin Luther King Jr. Parade grand marshals and peace makers. This year, residents helped nominate the parade’s grand marshals and were selected by the MLK Advisory Committee to recognize their leadership and commitment to the community.

The recipients of the 2026 MLK Peace Maker Awards will also be recognized. That award pays tribute to the enduring legacy of King, who brought forward community values and strategies to promote peace, unity, compassion and kindness among diverse communities for a just society, officials said.