From: Steve Wasson
To: CITYCOUNCIL-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Pool Rates
Date: Monday, December 1, 2025 7:51:55 PM
Dear Mayor and Members of the Alameda City Council,
My wife and I have been active members of Alameda Aquatic Masters for more than 20 years.
The program has been an essential part of our health, well-being, and community life. It’s where we stay fit, stay connected, and continue to be part of a positive, supportive group that benefits residents across Alameda.
I’m writing to urge you not to implement steep or inequitable rate increases. Sudden, significant hikes would make it difficult for many longtime members to continue and would undermine the inclusive community the program has built over decades.
We understand the City must manage costs, and we support reasonable, gradual, and fair adjustments. But large increases would jeopardize a program that has been a public good for so many of us.
Thank you for your consideration and for supporting a healthy, active Alameda.
Sincerely,
Steve Wasson
Alameda Aquatics Masters member and Alameda Resident
From: Carrie Wasson
To: CITYCOUNCIL-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Please support Master"s swimming!
Date: Monday, December 1, 2025 7:36:46 PM
Dear City Council Members:
I am a 51 year old, third generation resident of Alameda, I live on Marina Dr. I’ve been a member of the Alameda Swimming community since 1982 when I swam in my first City Meet. My husband and I have been active members of the Alameda Aquatic Master’s Swim Team since we moved back to Alameda in 2003 (about 23 years!) The team means so much to us, it’s our weekly exercise, our meditation that supports our mental health and a social outlet and source of friendship that enhances our lives in ways we cannot describe. Please consider a fair and equitable adjustment to the pool fees that will support swimming of all ages, including us older folks.
Thank you for your consideration of Master’s Swimming.
Carrie Wasson
December 1, 2025
Dear Honorable Mayor and Councilmembers,
Thank you for your time and service as you consider the Master Fee Schedule update, including proposed
aquatic
lane
rental
rate
increases.
I
am
writing
to
respectfully
provide
several
factual
clarifications
related
to
the
fee
comparison
study
and
discussion
notes,
to
support
accurate
and
equitable
decision-making.
Clarifications to Fee Comparison Study
The fee comparison study includes several items that may be misleading or inaccurate in evaluating
market
rates
for
aquatic
programs:
1) City of El Cerrito - Lane Rentals/User Groups
•
El
Cerrito’s
youth
swim
team
and
masters
program
are
operated
directly
by
the
City.
•
Their
published
“lane
rental”
fees
do
not
apply
to
those
programs
and
therefore
do
not
represent
a
comparable
market
rate
for
similar
nonprofit
programs.
•
Why
it
matters:
Including
in-house
municipal
programs
understates
true
market
pricing
for
nonprofit
user
groups.
• Source: El Cerrito Gators, El Cerrito Aquatic Masters 2) City of Pleasant Hill - Lane Rentals/User Groups
•
The
listed
weekday
and
weekend
“facility
use”
fees
are
for
pool
picnic
rentals
,
not
swim
lane
rentals
for
organized
aquatics
programs.
•
Why
it
matters:
This
is
not
a
like-for-like
program
or
fee
structure.
• Source: PH Aquatic Park Pool Rental Information 3) City of San Ramon — Lane Rentals/User Groups
•
The
comparison
references
long
course
(50m)
rates
,
but
Alameda
does
not
operate
a
long
course
pool.
•
Why
it
matters:
Long
course
facilities
follow
different
expense
and
pricing
structures,
distorting
equivalency.
4) City of San Ramon — Lap Swim
•
San
Ramon
charges
a
flat
$8
lap
swim
fee
per
visit,
regardless
of
age
or
residency
status.
•
Why
it
matters:
These
fees
reflect
market
pricing
for
adult
aquatic
access
and
should
be
considered
to
ensure
a
proper
evaluation
of
market
rates
for
all
aquatic
programs
• Source: San Ramon Aquatics - Lap Swim (note fees are collapsed under “Swim Fee & All Swim Pass” section) 5) City of San Leandro • The published rates are specifically for two-hour minimum pool buy-outs and do not necessarily
reflect
typical
lane
rental
or
user
group
rates.
• Additionally, the San Leandro School District rents pools separately to user groups , providing other local options. • Why it matters: Using the City’s posted buy-out rates as a benchmark may overstate typical costs
for
comparable
adult
aquatic
programs.
• Source: City of San Leandro Master Fee Schedule (rates on page 60) , San Leandro Unified School District - Facility Use Fee Schedule Note on identified errors
•
Concerns
about
inaccuracies
in
the
fee
comparison
were
publicly
raised
during
the
November
Recreation
&
Park
Commission
meeting,
but
those
issues
were
not
corrected
in
the
materials
now
before
Council.
Clarification to Discussion Section 6) Public Feedback Summary •
The
discussion
notes
state
that
ARPD
received
“little
feedback”
at
the
November
4,
2025
virtual
meeting
and
“did
not
receive
additional
feedback”
after
the
meeting.
• A detailed letter outlining concerns was submitted on August 22, 2025 , and discussed in a meeting
with
ARPD
leadership
on
September
12,
2025
.
• Additionally, several community members expressed concerns about the proposed rate increases
during
the
November
Alameda
Recreation
&
Park
Commission
meeting.
• Why it matters: Council should be aware that community feedback was timely, collaborative, and
ongoing
throughout
the
process
—
and
should
be
accurately
represented
in
the
record.
I respectfully request that these clarifications be included in the public record and considered during
your
review
of
the
proposed
fee
schedule.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Drew
Swartz
From: Caitlin Litsey
To: CITYCOUNCIL-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Alameda Aquatic Masters Pool Rates
Date: Monday, December 1, 2025 4:28:22 PM
Hello City Council,
My name is Caitlin Nguyen and I’m a newer member of Alameda Aquatic Masters. I recently found this swim club and I’m so happy to have found it. It’s such a welcoming community and swim practices are bright spots in my week. It has given me a safe place to learn a new skill and take care of my health. I know our club would be negatively impacted by the proposed rate increase. I am writing in hopes that you consider voting against such a large increase to pool rates for our club. Thank you for your consideration and all you do for the city of Alameda! Caitlin Nguyen
Sent from my iPhone
From: Caitlin Keen
To: CITYCOUNCIL-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Pool Rate Vote on 12/2
Date: Monday, December 1, 2025 3:52:13 PM
Dear City Council,
I'm writing as an Alameda resident and member of Alameda Aquatic Masters (AAM) to urge you to vote no on the proposed pool lane rental rate increases as they currently stand.
Unfortunately, my work schedule prevents me from attending in person again, which I'm disappointed about as I would really prefer to voice my opposition directly.
As a parent of three small children with highly variable work hours, AAM has become essential to maintaining my health and well-being. The affordability of the program is what makes it sustainable for me. If the proposed rate increases force AAM to raise dues substantially, private health clubs would become the more economical choice—but I don't want to make that choice.
I want to continue swimming in city pools, supporting the public amenities my tax dollars help fund. More importantly, I want to keep modeling for my children—including my oldest, who swims with the Gators—that swimming is an activity you can pursue throughout your life, even during the demanding years of parenthood. For a time this year, my Masters practice even coincided with my six-year-old's ARPD swim lessons, allowing us to be in the pool together. That overlap encouraged him to transition to the "big" pool and significantly improved his learning. These are the kinds of intergenerational connections that city aquatics programs should foster.
The proposed rate increase of 62% over two years—from $57,629 to $92,690—threatens to push adult swimmers like me out of public pools and into private gyms. Meanwhile, the inequity remains: AAM would pay significantly more than youth nonprofit teams like the Gators for the same lane space, despite both serving Alameda residents as nonprofit programs.
AAM's membership is 85% Alameda residents, 50% seniors, and 54% women. We've served this community for 42 years, providing coached swimming for adults of all abilities. We fill a gap that ARPD's programs don't address.
I'm asking you to vote no on this proposal and instead apply the same nonprofit rate to both youth and adult resident teams. This alignment would provide about $26,000 in annual relief —a small investment in keeping adult aquatics accessible and ensuring families like mine continue choosing city pools over private alternatives.
Thank you for your consideration and for your service to our community! Best,
Caitlin Keen
547 Pacific Ave, Alameda
510-228-4652
From: Laura Radus
To: CITYCOUNCIL-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Alameda Aquatic Masters Rates
Date: Monday, December 1, 2025 3:25:47 PM
To whom it may concern,
My name is Laura Radus and I am a member of the Alameda Aquatic Masters swim team. I am relatively new to this team and I practice 3 times a week since I have a full time job and two children. This team and the members have been so welcoming and kind. The practices have significantly improved my strength and has helped my neck and shoulder issues. I have made friends and seen improvement in my form and my strength.
Please consider keeping the pool rates the same. I may be priced out of this health benefit if you don't. Our rates are already much higher than the other programs using the pool and with not as much access as the others have from what I can tell.
Thank you for your consideration,
Laura Radus
Alameda, CA
Letter to Alameda City Council My name is Randell Sharpe. I live at 242 Inverness Ct., Alameda, CA. I have been a resident of Alameda for over 30 years. I am and have been a member of the Alameda Aquatic Masters (AAM) swim team for most of those 30 years. My daughter grew up here in Alameda and was a member of an Alameda youth swim team and now as an adult participates in the sport of swimming as a master’s swimmer. Masters swimming is a lifetime sport where swimmers come together to encourage each other in both a social and competitive setting to maintain our health and well-being, both physically and mentally. I wrote this letter to the ARPD board and it apparently fell on deaf ears. So I am sending it to you in the hopes that you will listen. It has been brought to my attention that ARPD is proposing a 30% fee increase for 2026, and another 23.7% increase on top of that for 2027, for AAM’s use of the pool. And that this is now being brought to the City Council for approval. This is not an equitable increase on multiple levels. We are a local nonprofit organization just like the youth swim team and water polo organizations. All the nonprofit swimming organizations should be treated equally and equally with the rest of the Alameda citizens. The proposed 30% annual increase is excessive. This increase directed only on the master’s team is unfair. The rate increases are also not equitable compared to the public lap swimmer rates. AAM currently pays $1,108.25 for our time using the pool on a weekly basis for 15.5 hours of use of 6 lanes weekly plus the hourly lifeguard fees. That equates to 221.65 public lap swimmer hours a week at the standard $5.00 hourly rate. We average around 180 actual lap swimmer hours a week. This means we are paying approximately 22% more for our nonprofit team use of the pool than residents that drop in and only pay the hourly fee. That assumes that everyone on the team is under 50 years old. Our membership is made up of 50% seniors. Seniors only pay a further reduced rate for public lap swimming. If we all quit the AAM team and just use the pool during public lap swim times it would cost the city between 25% and 50% of the revenue they currently receive from the team. If your goal is to eliminate the masters swim team from Alameda and reduce revenue that the masters pay the city, then you are on the right track. I hope this is not the case! It is fiscally irresponsible for you to continue with this proposal and unfair to the residents of Alameda. You should charge all the nonprofit teams that use the swim facilities at the same fair rate. You should charge the public lap swimmers that use the swim facilities a rate that is on the same level as what you charge the teams. Additionally, ARPD does not seem to know how to maintain the pool as is or run it in an efficient manner. The heating system regularly breaks down, they waste untold $$ in heating costs by not covering the pools when not in use. They don’t always have staff show up on time with proper keys to allow use of the pools at the scheduled times. The showers are normally broken or barely usable. I think it is time to take a critical look at the ARPD staffing in charge of the Alameda pools and make some much needed changes.
Thank you for understanding my position. I hope to continue to participate with the AAM swim team here in Alameda for many years to come. It would be a shame to see it close down due to unfair fees levied by ARPD. Randell Sharpe 242 Inverness Ct. Alameda, CA 94502 510 337 0706 [email protected] December 2, 2025
To: Alameda City Council
From:
Alameda
Aquatic
Masters
Board
of
Directors
Subject:
Lane
Rental
Rate
Equity
for
Alameda’s
Adult
Nonprofit
Aquatics
Programs
Dear Honorable Mayor and Councilmembers,
Alameda Aquatic Masters (AAM) is a 42-year-old Alameda-based nonprofit providing year-round
coached
swimming
for
adult
residents.
We
support
the
move
to
per-lane
rental
rates,
but
the
proposed
rate
increases
create
an
inequitable
burden
on
adult
nonprofit
programs
like
ours.
Under the proposed structure, AAM would pay nearly double for the same lane space, with annual
costs
rising
from
about
$57,000
in
2025
to
about
$92,000
in
2027
.
This
would
force
significant
fee
hikes
and
reduced
practice
hours,
threatening
a
long-standing
community
program
—
of
which
50%
of
members
are
seniors.
Such
increases
would
make
masters
swimming
increasingly
inaccessible
to
Alameda
residents
and
taxpayers,
undermining
a
city-based
program
that
has
supported
the
community
for
over
four
decades.
While ARPD offers aquatic fitness programs, it does not provide an adult swim training program.
AAM
fulfills
this
need
by
offering
coached
workouts
for
adults
of
all
abilities
—
from
beginners
to
competitive
swimmers
—
helping
residents
stay
active
and
connected
through
swimming.
Masters
swimming
provides
the
same
community
benefit
as
youth
aquatics
programs,
lap
swim,
and
swim
lessons,
fostering
health,
discipline,
and
lifelong
participation
in
a
safe,
structured
environment.
The proposed adult nonprofit rates exceed market rates (see Exhibit A) charged by other East Bay
cities,
while
youth
programs,
lap
swim,
and
swim
lessons
in
Alameda
remain
at
or
below
regional
market
levels
(see
Exhibit
B).
This
disparity
places
an
unfair
financial
burden
on
adult
community
programs
that
serve
local
residents.
We respectfully request that the City Council recommends eliminating the “Adult Resident Team”
category
and
applying
the
Youth
Resident
Team
rate
to
all
Alameda-based
nonprofit
aquatic
programs.
Aligning AAM’s rate with youth nonprofits would provide about $26,000 in annual relief — a modest
adjustment
that
sustains
a
42-year
community
program
without
significantly
affecting
city
revenue.
Thank you for considering this request to ensure fairness and continued access for Alameda’s adult
swimmers.
Sincerely,
Alameda
Aquatic
Masters
Board
of
Directors
Exhibit A - User Group Fee Comparison
Exhibit B - Lap Swim & Aquatic Class Fee Comparison
From: John Felts
To: CITYCOUNCIL-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Swimming Pool fee increases
Date: Saturday, November 29, 2025 2:37:09 PM
12/2 City Council Meeting on Pool Rates
On Tuesday 12/2 the City Council will vote on significant pool fee increases that will greatly impact many programs that use the Alameda pools including the Alameda Aquatic Masters (AAM). The AAM program provides for many senior citizens in Alameda and the increases that you are proposing are not only un-fair and un-reasonable, but will create a burden on the Seniors in our city.
I urge you to NOT INCREASE THE POOL RATES.
Thank you.
John Felts
Alameda Aquatic Masters MEMBER
39 year resident of Alameda
2624 Calhoun Street
cell: 510-387-3421
From: Holly Johnson
To: CITYCOUNCIL-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] proposed pool fee increases for 2026 and 2027 Date: Friday, November 28, 2025 7:38:00 PM
Dear Council members and City staff,
Unfortunately, I cannot attend this week's City Council meeting but I would like to add my voice to that of many other Island swimmers to protest the proposed fee increases for lane rentals.
I am a lifelong fitness swimmer and have been swimming with the masters team (AAM) for several years. I recently joined the AAM board as a way of giving back to this wonderful local swimming community.
AAM has been supportive as ARPD has modified the fee structure and we have increased our own rates to cover the additional lane rental costs beginning with the 2025 increases.
However, the proposed increases for the next two years will be onerous for our members. If we continue to raise our membership fees, we will likely lose swimmers to the point of having to rent fewer lane hours from ARPD, which would ultimately affect your revenue.
Additionally, the fee structure is unfair to adult user groups compared to youth groups and to individual lap swimmers.
As many of our teammates can attest, AAM is inclusive and provides a healthy way for Alamedans to improve their fitness and safeguard their mental health.
As I said when I attended the user group meeting a few weeks ago, AAM teammates are ready and willing to collaborate with ARPD to help keep maintenance, heating, and other costs down.
I hope the council will reject the proposed rate increases and direct ARPD to find a more equitable way of balancing their aquatics budget. Thank you, Holly Johnson From: Allwyn Carvalho
To: CITYCOUNCIL-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: Pool Rental Fee for Alameda Aquatics Masters Date: Friday, November 28, 2025 2:21:00 PM
Just a quick correction that the number of AAM members is currently 136, not 186 as I wrongly stated in the email.
On Wed, Nov 26, 2025 at 7:05 PM Allwyn Carvalho <[email protected]> wrote:
The Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
City of Alameda
2263 Santa Clara Avenue
Alameda, CA 94501
Dear Mayor and Council Members,
I am writing to you as a 32-year resident of Alameda and a senior citizen to express my deep concern about the proposed fee increases for Alameda Aquatic Masters' (AAM) use of the Encinal High School pool, particularly the dramatic increase planned for 2027.
I am a cancer survivor, and swimming has become essential to my health and well-being. As a senior, I need exercise that provides a full-body workout without the high-impact stress that other activities place on aging joints and muscles. Swimming offers exactly that.
Beyond the physical benefits, the community support and encouragement at AAM has been invaluable for my mental health during my recovery and beyond.
I came to AAM as a beginner swimmer, not an elite athlete, and I have been warmly welcomed. Having a coach on deck at every swim session, offering encouragement and technique tips, has transformed what could be a solitary routine into an engaging, supportive experience that motivates me to stay active and healthy. This is exactly the kind of community resource that helps seniors like me age in place successfully in Alameda.
AAM serves approximately 186 members who choose to live healthy, active lives in our community. We are your neighbors, your fellow residents, and many of us (over 50%) are seniors and people managing health challenges. We are not an elitist organization - we are community members trying to stay healthy and connected.
I understand that the city is considering charging adult swimmers at twice the rate of youth programs. While I appreciate the city's commitment to youth activities, I respectfully ask that you reconsider creating such a significant disparity. Adults, especially seniors and those recovering from illness, also need affordable access to healthy activities. If adult and youth rates could be kept comparable, the proposed increases would remain manageable for members like me.
I urge you to ensure that pool fees remain affordable for AAM members and to recognize the important role this organization plays in building community and promoting health among Alameda residents of all ages and abilities.
Thank you for your consideration and for your service to our community.
Sincerely,
Allwyn Carvalho
2618 Edison Court
Alameda, CA 94501
[email protected]
510-207-1076
From: Galia Amram
To: CITYCOUNCIL-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Pool Fees
Date: Wednesday, November 26, 2025 4:35:48 PM
Hi, I am an Alameda resident and a member of the Alameda Aquatic Masters. Please, please dont raise pool rental rates to a level that ruins our program. I started swimming with this team when I hurt my knee and couldn't run anymore. The team has been amazing for my health. My kids have watched me get stronger and now they want to swim too. Please help us keep the Alameda Masters team sustainable. Thank you!!