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# New Santa Monica pool opened to public
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/new-santa-monica-pool-opened-to-public/
- Published: 2002-07-18T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T00:32:28.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Community, Pico, #archive-import

*By Daily Press staff*

After year-long construction delay, Santa Monica officially opened its newest municipal pool Wednesday.

City officials, elected leaders and residents gathered poolside to watch aquatic demonstrations from the Santa Monica College swimming team and munching hors d’oeuvres.

The new municipal swimming facility, located at the corner of Pico Boulevard and 17th Street, has one Olympic-sized 50-meter competition pool and one smaller instructional and recreational pool. There also is a two-story structure in between the two pools which houses offices, locker rooms and showers.

To make up for the long delays and celebrate the pool’s opening, from Thursday to Sunday the pool will be open free of charge. After that, residents will be charged $2.50 per swim or they can purchase 20-swim passes for $20\. Swimming lessons also are available.

Planning the new swimming pool facility began in 1998, with a focus group and sessions for public input, to replace a structure that had been damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

In addition to uses by local aquatic groups, the new pool also will be home to the Santa Monica College’s swim team. Since the city demolished the old facility in 1999, the team hasn’t had a place of their own to practice.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/071802-04_01.jpg)

Crews clean the new municipal pool Wednesday before the grand opening poolside party held last night. (Photo: Andrew H. Fixmer/Daily Press)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 18, 2002.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/071802.pdf?ref=smdp.com)