City Wins Public Works Awards For Kennedy Pool, Union Street Projects

The City has won two 2023 American Public Works Association (APWA) BEST awards for two outstanding public works projects.

The City was honored for its renovation of the Honorable John J. Kennedy Pool and Pool Building and the Union Street Protected Cycle Track. 

Each year, APWA’s Southern California Chapter recognizes Public Works projects that are ranked to be the best in their respective project category based on enhanced performance, uniqueness, and impact on the quality of life in the community. Pasadena competed against other similar-sized cities in the Southern California region.

The pool project won project of the year in the recreational and athletic facilities category as a facility that meets the needs of a diverse, largely disadvantaged community and fosters a healthy lifestyle for residents of all ages and abilities. 

Through an extensive community engagement process, the new 4,141 square-foot heated pool and the renovated pool house can now accommodate the year-round programming desired by local residents including swim lessons, water aerobics, parent-and-me classes, recreational and lap swimming, and lifeguard training. The project also included a new youth and teen center. 

The Union Street project won project of the year in the traffic, mobility and beautification category by providing a safe all-ages facility for bike riders to use to travel through Pasadena’s dense, car-centric historical downtown area. 

The new cycle track is a fully signalized 1.5-mile two-way protected bikeway along Union Street and a quarter-mile bike boulevard along Holliston Avenue in the commercial and cultural core of the City. 

The project includes modifications to 14 existing traffic signals, installation of six new traffic signals, and pedestrian crossing improvements and updated curb ramps at all affected intersections. 

According to its website, APWA is a not-for-profit organization that prides itself on its ability to provide varied educational and networking opportunities that help public works personnel grow in their professionalism and improve the quality of life in the communities they serve.