Parents, swimmers press council for afternoon pool time as Parks opens RFQ

Malville — Parents, high‑school athletes and community coaches packed the council chambers Feb. 26 to protest the sudden firing of a longtime swim coach and to press the city for afternoon pool time.

Eric Rand, identified himself as a local former Seawolves coach now leading the community‑organized Malibu Marlins, told council his team has grown to more than 90 swimmers in recent seasons and that morning‑only 6:30 a.m. practice times exclude many school‑age participants. “Would it be possible for our community swim team to get some time to swim in the afternoon? That’s all we want,” Rand told the council.

Multiple parents and students described impacts on sleep and school performance from 5:30 a.m. wake‑ups. Aaliyah Brinkman, a current Marlins swimmer, said early mornings make concentrating in class difficult and urged afternoon availability so more children can participate.

What staff will do: Parks staff told the council the Parks & Recreation Commission formed an ad hoc committee that reviewed contracts, the pool schedule and applicable regulations on swimmers per lane. The committee set a meeting with both club presidents for March 4 to attempt a local resolution and directed staff to reopen the city’s qualifications process (an RFQ/RFQ) so Marina Marlins and Seawolves can both apply for city pool vendor status. Staff said it aims to release the RFQ around April 1 and to complete vendor selection before summer, if no earlier agreement is reached.

Why it matters: In a small city with one municipal pool, weekday practice slots are limited. Parents and coaches said sharing lanes or reassigning afternoon hours would let more children swim without pre‑dawn schedules. The parks ad hoc committee’s plan preserves an open procurement process while giving the clubs a near‑term forum to try to reach a deal.

Voices at the meeting: “It’s very easy to make anyone who grew up with swimming say that we can share a pool together,” Eric Rand said. Several council members urged both sides to negotiate; commissioner reports emphasized staff will prepare an RFQ to reopen the vendor selection process.

Next steps: Club presidents will meet March 4; staff expects to release the RFQ around April 1 and to complete a vendor selection before the summer swim season. Council members asked staff to consider operational constraints — lifeguard coverage, swimmer‑per‑lane maximums and contract termination provisions — when developing options.

Limitations: Staff said the Seawolves currently hold a month‑to‑month vendor arrangement with termination provisions and that changes to lane assignments may require additional lifeguard staffing or adjusted swimmer allocations per lane; those operational issues will be part of the RFQ and staff analysis.