Attendance at Pacific Park Pool exceeds expectations

One of the hottest summer attractions in Glendale hasn’t been a nightclub or a Caruso Affiliated-financed development.

The Pacific Community Park Pool, which opened on June 4, is attracting as many as 1,000 people a day, including up to 450 recreational swimmers and 550 aquatics-program participants, city officials reported this week.

The pool’s capacity at any given time is 243 people.

“I am absolutely astounded at the number of young kids, adults and seniors that are in the pool all day,” said City Councilman Ara Najarian, who played a critical role in pushing through the development of the pool. “The usage is, I think, exceeding everyone’s expectations.”

Located at the northwest corner of Pacific Avenue and Riverdale Drive, the new $5.3-million swim complex was years in the making. The pool hosts junior life guard and water polo programs, a community swim team and youth and adult swim lessons, said Gabrielle Goglia, a community services supervisor for the city.

If it is not too crowded, officials will bring out Styrofoam noodles and other pool toys for swimmers to enjoy, Goglia said.

Occasionally, they also use a hose to create a water fountain feature.

“It has been fantastic,” Goglia said. “The community has loved it. We have gotten some very positive feedback from parents of children in the swim programs. It has been definitely been a success.”

The Pacific Community Park pool is open seven days a week through Sept. 5. Admission prices vary depending on age, but top out at $2. Average daily attendance is eclipsing that at the more established, city-operated summer aquatics program at Hoover High School, where usage ranges from 500 to 600 people a day.

The city shuttered its aquatics offerings at Glendale High School this summer due to budget constraints, Goglia said.

The location of the Pacific Community Park Pool is also crucial to its success, Najarian said.

“It is one of the most-dense areas of the city,” Najarian said. “Kids can literally just walk to the pool. They don’t need to have their mom drive them down, or take the bus. It is very accessible.”