{"id":342685,"date":"2026-06-02T08:57:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T08:57:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/342685\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T08:57:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T08:57:14","slug":"belmont-plaza-pool-breaks-ground-expected-to-finish-construction-by-2028","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/342685\/","title":{"rendered":"Belmont Plaza Pool breaks ground, expected to finish construction by 2028"},"content":{"rendered":"

After almost a decade of planning meetings, constant redesigns and a multi-year lawsuit<\/a>, the City of Long Beach officially broke ground Saturday morning to rebuild the Belmont Plaza Pool.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Belmont Plaza Pool was closed in 2013 and demolished the following year because it was classified as \u201cstructurally and seismically unsafe.\u201d <\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

The new 50-meter pool and 544-seat aquatics complex will cost the City of Long Beach $105 million to build. To fund the project, Long Beach introduced parking meter fees along the coast in 1,800 spots<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Long Beach residents, athletes and City officials look at renderings of the Belmont Plaza Pool, which is set to open in 2028, on May 30, 2026. (Samuel Chacko | Signal Tribune) <\/p>\n

\"\"Long Beach City Manager, Tom Modica, (left) speaks about the Belmont Plaza Pool project and the reasons why the project was delayed for so long on May 30, 2026. (Samuel Chacko | Signal Tribune)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe certainly recognize our past [and] are building this venue for the future,\u201d Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said in his opening statement at the groundbreaking. \u201cWe want this moment in 2028 to be a moment where young people are inspired to go out to their parks, go out to their basketball courts, walk to the pools and really be inspired and become future Olympians, future athletes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Belmont Pool project will host swimming programs, diving meets and professional water polo \u2014 bringing a space for both competitive and recreational swimming.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Long Beach swimmers and water polo players of all ages \u2014 from Olympic-level athletes to CIF record-holders \u2014 spoke to the Long Beach community Saturday about the impact swimming has made on them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAt this pool, and certainly at the former pool, I was able to participate in the first CIF swim meet for high school in 1969,\u201d John McMullen said, with his grandkids at his side.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pool is a gathering place where everybody can participate,\u201d McMullen said. \u201cWhen people walk into that gate and swim and walk out, they\u2019re feeling better, they\u2019re happy with themselves \u2026 I think it\u2019s so important for our community to carry this legacy [of aquatics] through.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two Long Beach Olympians, Ryder Dodd and Jessica Hardy, spoke about childhood memories they had in pools and the role Long Beach pools had in their life.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m proud to say that I\u2019m from Long Beach and that Belmont is my home pool because you can\u2019t beat this location, you can\u2019t beat this community support,\u201d Hardy, an Olympic gold and bronze medalist, said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Jessica Hardy, 2012 Olympic gold medalist, speaks about how proud she is to see the Belmont Plaza Pool being rebuilt for future generations during the Belmont Pool groundbreaking on May 30, 2026. (Samuel Chacko | Signal Tribune) <\/p>\n

\"\"There is a fenced off area where the Belmont Aquatics Center will be built, which is set to be completed in 2028 just before the 2028 Olympics. (Samuel Chacko | Signal Tribune) <\/p>\n

\u201cI have two young kids, six and eight, and they\u2019re the future. You guys are building for the next generation and to continue the legacy for Long Beach,\u201d Hardy said as she began tearing up. \u201cI can\u2019t wait to cheer them on, can\u2019t wait to celebrate and swim in the pool.\u201d<\/p>\n

Less Smalz, a 61-year-old born and raised Long Beach resident, grew up swimming in the 1970s.<\/p>\n

\u201c[My older brother and I] would take the Long Beach transit down here for a quarter and they would let us swim for 50 cents,\u201d Smalz reminisced. \u201cThey had the low dive and high dive and the cement platform diving and this was something special just for us to go down here as youth, and now we want the next generation to experience the good things in life.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Smalz said bringing back the Belmont Plaza Pool will bring the swim vibe to Long Beach, mentioning the explosive effect aquatics can have on the next generation.<\/p>\n

Want more local news? <\/p>\n

Sign up for the Signal Tribune\u2019s daily newsletter<\/p>\n

\u201cLong Beach is getting ready to have a revival when it comes to the water and the ocean and events like swimming\u2026.we\u2019re going to have all kinds of competition going on [with LA 28] and it\u2019s going to be amazing. The kids are going to love it, and everybody is going to jump on board,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is going to be summertime in the LBC all year long.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Belmont Plaza Pool project is expected to be completed in the spring of 2028, just as the Olympics come to Long Beach, when it will host 11 events.\u00a0<\/p>\n

To learn more about the project, visit the Belmont Pool Project\u2019s website https:\/\/www.belmontpool.com\/about_the_project.php#benefit<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"SamuelSamuel ChackoPhotojournalist<\/p>\n

Samuel Chacko is an award-winning photojournalist from Long Beach, California. Samuel currently works as a freelance journalist for multiple publications and he is a class of 2025 Cal State Long Beach graduate. Samuel loves watching sports (the Ravens and the Yankees) and taking photos.
Check out more of Samuel\u2019s work here: https:\/\/samuelchacko.com\/<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

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