Santa Ana dedicates pools as public opening date remains uncertain

Santa Ana officials celebrated a new aquatic center costing more than $29 million on Saturday without announcing a firm date for residents to begin swimming, according to Voice of OC. Restoration of a historic Chicano mural at Memorial Park also remained unfinished.

The gap between the ceremony and public access has drawn questions about whether the Nov. 3 election influenced the timing. The project also puts Santa Ana’s preservation of Chicano cultural heritage alongside questions about recreation access and municipal spending.

Councilman Johnathan Hernandez questioned whether council members seeking reelection or an Assembly seat had pushed the unveiling prematurely, Voice of OC reported. City Manager Alvaro Nuñez denied that any elected official had directed him to hold the ribbon cutting in October.

Councilman David Penaloza, a State Assembly candidate, said construction delays and advance scheduling shaped the ceremony date. He said officials had sought Gov. Gavin Newsom’s attendance and needed a firm date; Newsom did not attend. Penaloza said staff hoped to offer open swim in November, but that was not a confirmed opening date.

The city sought design proposals in 2023, nearly 70 years after the original pool and community center were built, and awarded a construction contract in fall 2024, according to Voice of OC. The new center includes a 25-meter competition pool, a recreational pool with a water slide, locker rooms, a community room and seating, as well as a solar-powered, all-electric building.

The mural was painted by Emigdio Vasquez in 1987. City officials announced preservation and restoration plans after Voice of OC reported on it in 2024. MuralColors completed an initial phase involving shaving the mural and preparing a foundation, but painting and preservation work remained delayed.

Nuñez signed the second-phase restoration agreement on Oct. 12, after the initially estimated Oct. 10 completion date. Carlos Rogel, MuralColors CEO and an art conservationist, said artists had intended to finish before the ceremony but had not received city authorization to proceed, according to Voice of OC.

As the city continued planning programming, the dedication left two pieces of the project unresolved: a firm public swimming date and completion of the mural restoration.