Campbell’s popular community pool permanently closes

Swimmers in the West Valley are being left high and dry following the permanent closure of Campbell’s 75-year-old public pool — and it will likely be several years before a new pool is open.

The city made the decision to drain and shut down the Community Center Pool on July 14 due to unrepairable leaks, following months of off-and-on again closures as maintenance workers struggled to patch aging pipes and drains. The city is moving several swim classes and programs to the pool at Westmont High School starting July 20.

Last year, the Campbell City Council approved $12 million to build a new pool with the intent of keeping the current pool open until construction started on the replacement at the same location. But the city’s plan to squeak through one last summer proved too optimistic as the leaks spiraled out of control.

“This is one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made in my professional career,” Natasha Bissell, director of the Campbell Recreation and Community Services Department, told San José Spotlight. “The pool is a community asset and I know how much people value it.”

Campbell’s community pool offered a range of services at affordable prices, such as swimming lessons for children and adults, lap swimming and fitness programs. An hour-long swim session cost as little as $3.

“I’m really sad that it’s closing,” Maggie Eyerman, who’s run the private Maki Swim school in Campbell for 35 years, told San José Spotlight. “It’s going to be a huge dent for people because there’s a lot of families that need that price point.”

Yvette Felix-Tsaboukos is a Willow Glen resident who works in Campbell and regularly goes to the pool as part of treatment for a blood clot in her leg. She arrived for a swim in recent days, only to find the pool gate locked.

“This will be a big problem for me,” she told San José Spotlight.

The heated community pool, which opened in 1951, measures 25 yards by 20 yards and was originally built as part of the athletic department at Campbell High School. The high school closed in 1980 because of declining enrollment and the city converted the entire site into a community center in 1985.

There are about 25 workers at the pool, with only one being a full-time city employee, who will be reassigned. The others are temporary lifeguards, mostly teenagers, and temporary instructors. Some of them may have other opportunities with the city, Bissell said.

The nearest alternative public pool for most Campbell residents is the Camden Community Center at 3369 Union Ave. in San Jose, although its operating hours are more limited than the Campbell pool.

Bissell said the timeline for building a new pool is yet to be determined and will take a while. Her wish list for the project includes a small side pool to allow more programs to run simultaneously, as well as new changing and equipment rooms.

Campbell will hold a meeting on Aug. 6 at 5 p.m. in Room Q30 of the city’s community center to gather public feedback on what the new pool should look like.

Contact Mike Langberg at [email protected].