Murrieta Prioritizes Pickleball Courts, Parking, New Pool Treads Water

MURRIETA, CA—The Murrieta City Council will review plans to reallocate funds earmarked for the California Oaks Community Pool redesign during Tuesday's session.

According to the released agenda, the city council is seeking to shift $2 million in funding received during the COVID-era American Rescue Plan away from the pool project and instead fund the city's Town Square Park Amphitheater Parking Project, as was discussed at a January city planning meeting. Another nearly $135,000—originally obtained to cover COVID-19 PPE expenses—will now be used to add multiple Pickleball courts to existing public parks if that agenda item is approved.

In August 2023, the Murrieta city council closed the 30-year-old Cal Oaks Community Pool, saying it had "exceeded its useful lifespan."

At that time, they released a statement alerting the residents that the facility was permanently closed and that the city would design and reconstruct a state-of-the-art facility that would better serve the needs of the Murrieta community.

"When the pool is finally constructed, staff envisions a beautiful facility with attractions for all ages, increased programming, and longer seasons, and we can't wait to hear from residents what they would like to see in a community aquatic facility," they said. The city opened a website dedicated to the pool redesign and asked residents to participate.

In total, only 351 completed surveys were received. Att

In January, the city hired a facilitating consulting firm, Baker Tilly, to hold a workshop to discuss city priorities, financial outlook, and goals. During that meeting, entitled "Planning for Tomorrow," among the top priorities identified was the Amphitheater Parking Lot, with an estimated cost of between $1.8 and 2.1 million.

At that meeting, City Manager Kim Summers discussed that the amphitheater parking lot had "already been designed," and City Engineer Jeff Hitch said the city had already calculated the number of spaces and costs.

According to the city, the new pool construction is estimated to cost between $10 and 13 million, and the work timeline has not yet been released. As of April, the California Oaks Sports Park pool remains closed, and no pool-related community service activities are in the works.

In 2021, the city of Murrieta was promised to receive $16,463,101 in allocations. That money was only to support public health expenditures related to COVID-19, address negative economic impacts caused by the public health emergency, address disproportionate public health and economic impacts of the pandemic, replace lost public sector revenue, provide premium pay for essential workers, or invest in water, sewer, or broadband infrastructure.

Review the full Murrieta City Council agenda for Tuesday here.