Rose Bowl Aquatics Center to Outline Olympic Diving Role and Five-Year Roadmap for Northwest Commission

The Rose Bowl Aquatics Center is scheduled to brief the Northwest Commission on May 12 about its programs, planned facility enhancements and a five-year strategic outlook that hinges on the nonprofit’s role as the Olympic diving venue for the LA28 Games.

Executive Director Melanie Sauer is set to deliver the presentation, titled “Rising to the Moment 2026.” The center’s leadership team identified in the materials also includes Chief Operating Officer Arvin Varma, Director of Programming Cristina Alvarado, Senior Director of Development Nicholas Fisher and Head Dive Coach Jean Luc Miralda. The session is informational. The Northwest Commission is a strictly advisory body, and the City Council retains final authority over any city actions tied to the center’s operations or the 2028 Olympic preparations.

The aquatics center, located in the heart of the Arroyo east of the Rose Bowl Stadium, was founded in 1989 with funding from the LA84 Foundation and opened in 1990. Its on-deck footprint includes two 50-meter pools used for both competition and recreation, one therapy pool and two hot tubs, supported by administrative offices, locker rooms, family changing rooms, a small fitness center, an aquatic shop, dining and extensive parking, according to the presentation materials.

Commissioners would hear that the center reported more than 400,000 visits in 2025, taught more than 123,000 swim lessons in total, including more than 16,000 swim lessons for Pasadena Unified School District students. The presentation also reports more than 1,100 competitive athletes spread across the swim team (555+), water polo team (200+), dive team (135+), masters swim team (260+) and Rays team (40+). The center awarded more than 1,000 financial assistance applications totaling more than $188,000 in 2025, and provides Pasadena residents 75 percent of program cost in assistance and other qualifying participants 50 percent.

The bulk of the briefing would focus on what the center calls the “Olympic/RBAC Timeline,” divided into pre-Games, during-Games and post-Games phases. Before the LA28 Games, the center would undertake renovation, engage the community across all aquatic programming and highlight women in sports. During the Games, the venue would be in exclusive Olympic use, requiring the center to relocate programming under an initiative called “RBAC on the Road” while continuing community benefit, well-being, employee development and partnerships. After the Games, the center would aim to amplify its profile as a world-class event venue, the materials state.

The presentation also identifies a series of operational challenges. Current pressures listed include securing pool space with parking for “RBAC on the Road,” office space during displacement, funding for expanded programming, workforce development, facility improvement and footprint limits. Future concerns include re-engaging the community, staff retention, balancing competitive and recreational identity, sustaining community financial assistance and the third-grade program, and program space capacity that the materials describe as running at 100 percent and 97 percent.

Sauer’s team would tell commissioners that the LA28 partnership was built with Olympic legacy funding from LA84, private donors and the City of Pasadena, and that the center is “proud to serve as the Olympic diving venue for the LA28 Games.” The expected impact of 2028 includes facility upgrades — among them a new tower, enhanced facility and mechanicals — new economic impact for the City of Pasadena and what the materials call generational inspiration for the local aquatics community.

The Rose Bowl Aquatics Center also lists a roster of community contributions tied to its mission, including the third-grade water safety program with the Pasadena Unified School District, the Spark of Love toy drive, the Friends in Deed food drive, partnerships with Huntington Hospital and UCLA Health, Red Cross training, summer camp scholarships with Parks and Recreation, a joint water safety press event with the City of Pasadena, job fairs, city-wide event participation, membership in the Partnership for Children, Youth and Families, the Black History Month Festival, work with Girl Scouts and an internship program with the Pasadena Unified School District.

The presentation is scheduled as an information item, with no Commission vote anticipated. Any City Council action that may follow remains within the Council’s exclusive authority.

The Northwest Commission is scheduled to meet at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 12, at the Jackie Robinson Community Center, 1020 North Fair Oaks Avenue, in Pasadena. For more information call (626) 744-7311 or visit https://www.cityofpasadena.net/commissions/agendas/.