Robinson Park Recreation Center New Swimming Pool Set To Break Ground Tuesday

The City of Pasadena will break ground Tuesday on a new public swimming pool at Robinson Park Recreation Center.

The new 4,141 square-foot pool will include zero-entry access to provide for toddler, senior, and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) activities, lanes for lap swimming, a new high-efficiency heating system, a new pool deck with deck showers, and a facility perimeter wall.

A chemical storage and pool equipment room will also be constructed.

The swimming pool restoration is part of the bigger Robinson Park Recreation Center Renovation Project that began in February last year.

Overall, the project, which has been on the drawing board since 2015, includes a substantial rehabilitation of the 19,000 square-foot recreation center, including demolition and reconstruction of the multipurpose room, administrative offices, kitchen, the open courtyard, recreation rooms and a conference room.

An earlier phase of the project involved a 2.5-acre expansion of the existing park and improvement of the site with new soccer and baseball fields, installation of synthetic turf, construction of new restroom and storage facilities, new sports field lighting, site amenities and parking lot.

The design of the new pool and pool building renovations at Robinson Park was completed last year. From Tuesday’s groundbreaking, construction could take about a year, according to Department of Public Works estimates.

The plans show the pool building will be reconfigured and renovated to provide ADA compliance upgrades and improvements to the facility’s functionality. Shower rooms will be converted to meet ADA standards as well as provide two new family-friendly restrooms with showers.

The reconfiguration will create space for new first aid and staff locker rooms and provide an ADA-compliant path-of-travel to the pool. Building finishes will be updated throughout, according to the plans.

The project will be funded from the Capital Improvement Program with estimated costs of $5.9 million. Justifying the expense, the Public Works Department said Robinson Park is one of the most heavily used facilities in the City, serving approximately 400 users per day.

“The swimming pool and pool building are in disrepair and due to considerable deferred maintenance warrant renovations and upgrades,” the Public Works Department said in the 2023 to 2027 Capital Improvement Program report.

Tuesday’s groundbreaking begins at 11:30 a.m. at Robinson Park, located at 1081 North Fair Oaks Ave.