Correspondence - Updated 7/7 — Alameda City Council, July 7, 2026

From: Artie Cortez
To: CITYCOUNCIL-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Letter of Support for City Aquatic Center Funding Date: Tuesday, July 7, 2026 1:02:49 AM
Dear Mayor and Members of the City Council:

I am writing as a member of Alameda Aquatic Masters to express my strong support for the City
Aquatic Center project, including the proposed additional funding for the project enhancements.

I also strongly support including the competition timing system, scoreboard, and related equipment. These features will allow local teams to host swim meets and competitions in Alameda and will enable ARPD to bring back the City's historic Swim Meet, which has not been held for several years.

I respectfully encourage you to approve both the construction contract and the proposed project
enhancements. This is an investment that will benefit the Alameda community for generations.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Artie
Dear Mayor and Members of the City Council:

I am writing to express my strong support for awarding the construction contract for the City Aquatic

Center,

including

the

proposed

additional

funding

for

the

project

enhancements.

As an Alameda resident, President of the Alameda Aquatic Masters Board of Directors, and someone

who

has

been

swimming

for

than

26 years,

have

seen

firsthand

how

important

aquatic

facilities

are

healthy

and

connected

community.

My five-year-old son has participated in ARPD swim lessons for the past three years, but our family

ultimately

joined

the

Alameda

Swimming

Pool

Association

because

the

lack

publicly

available

aquatic

opportunities

through

City

programs,

particularly

for

family

swim.

While

are

grateful

the

ASPA

exists,

underscores

the

need

for

City-owned

aquatic

facility

that

provides

greater

access

for

all

Alameda

residents.

The reopening of the Alameda High School Swim Center later this year will be a tremendous asset

for

our

community,

and

look

forward

seeing

back

operation.

However,

even

before

the

closure

Emma

Hood

Swim

Center,

demand

for

aquatic

space

Alameda

exceeded

what

the

high

school

pools

could

accommodate.

addition,

the

primary

purpose

the

high

school

facilities

serve

Alameda

Unified

School

District

students

and

programs.

City-owned

aquatic

center

essential

meeting

the

broader

recreational,

instructional,

fitness,

and

competitive

aquatic

needs

the

community.

Many other cities throughout Alameda County operate their own aquatic centers, providing year-round

access

learn-to-swim

programs,

youth

swim

teams

and

water

polo,

recreational

swimming,

adult

fitness,

Masters

swimming,

and

aquatic

exercise.

Alameda

deserves

the

same

opportunity

invest

aquatic

programming

that

serves

residents

all

ages

and

abilities.

I also strongly support including the competition timing system, scoreboard, and related equipment.

These

enhancements

will

allow

local

teams

host

swim

meets

and

competitions

Alameda,

bring

visitors

into

our

community,

and

enable

ARPD

once

again

host

the

City’s

historic

Swim

Meet,

which

has

not

been

held

for

several

years.

The City Aquatic Center has been discussed for many years and remains one of Alameda’s most

anticipated

recreation

projects.

Even

approved

now,

the

facility

still

approximately

two

and

half

years

away

from

opening.

Delaying

this

decision

further

only

postpones

long-needed

community

asset

that

residents

have

been

waiting

for

far

too

long.

respectfully

urge

the

Council

move

this

project

forward

and

deliver

City-owned

aquatic

center

that

will

benefit

Alameda

for

generations.

Thank you for your consideration and for your commitment to the future of aquatics in Alameda.

Sincerely,
Drew Swartz

Alameda

Resident

President,

Alameda

Aquatic

Masters

Board

Directors

Vice

Chair,

Alameda

Recreation

and

Park

Commission

(listed

for

identification

purposes

only)

From: Holly Johnson
To: CITYCOUNCIL-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Support of the aquatic center
Date: Monday, July 6, 2026 11:51:58 AM
Dear Mayor and Members of the City Council:

I'm a member of Alameda Aquatic Masters, and I'm writing to voice my strong support for the City Aquatic Center project, including the additional funding being proposed for the project enhancements such as the timing system.

This new Aquatic Center means a lot to our community. It will help keep aquatic programming alive and growing in Alameda for people of all ages and abilities — giving folks the chance to swim for recreation, fitness, lessons, and competition for years to come.

I especially want to voice my support for the competition timing system, scoreboard, and related equipment. These additions would let us host swim meets right here in Alameda, and would finally allow ARPD to bring back the City's historic Swim Meet.

I hope you'll approve both the construction contract and the proposed enhancements. This is an investment that will pay off for the Alameda community for generations to come.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Holly Johnson
Shoreline Drive
From: Marina Stankov-Hodge
To: CITYCOUNCIL-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL]
Date: Monday, July 6, 2026 6:21:29 AM
Dear Mayor and Members of the City Council:

I am writing as a member of MEMO swim team to express my strong support for the City Aquatic Center project, including the proposed additional funding for the project enhancements.

I respectfully encourage you to approve both the construction contract and the proposed project enhancements. This is an investment that will benefit the Alameda community for generations.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Marina Stankov-Hodge
Www.marinaastrology.com
Marina Astrological Consulting and Music LTD www.marinaastrology.com, Nurse Boogz, MIR, BSN, RN
From: Laurel Orduña
To: CITYCOUNCIL-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] City Aquatic Center
Date: Sunday, July 5, 2026 6:15:44 PM
Dear Mayor and Members of the City Council:

I am writing as a member of Alameda Aquatic Masters to express my strong support for the City
Aquatic Center project, including the proposed additional funding for the project enhancements.

I respectfully encourage you to approve both the construction contract and the proposed project
enhancements. This is an investment that will benefit the Alameda community for generations.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Laurel Orduña
--

From: Darrah Jones
To: CITYCOUNCIL-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Alameda City Aquatic Center project Date: Sunday, July 5, 2026 5:37:17 PM
Dear Mayor and Members of the City Council:

I am writing as a member of Alameda Aquatic Masters to express my strong support for the City Aquatic Center project, including the proposed additional funding for the project enhancements.

I respectfully encourage you to approve both the construction contract and the proposed project enhancements. This is an investment that will benefit the Alameda community for generations.

Thank you for your consideration.

Respectfully,
Darrah Jones, MSW, LCSW #127653
(385) 645-7640
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From: Meeti Sudame
To: CITYCOUNCIL-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Support for the City"s Aquatic Center Date: Sunday, July 5, 2026 4:29:20 PM
Dear Mayor Ashcraft and Members of the City Council:

I am writing as an Alameda Resident and member of Alameda Aquatic Masters to express my strong support for the City Aquatic Center project, including the proposed additional funding for the project enhancements.

The new Aquatic Center will help maintain and expand aquatic programming in Alameda for people of all ages and abilities, providing opportunities for recreation, fitness, swim lessons, and competitive swimming for years to come. As you likely know, the East Bay particularly is lacking in sufficient aquatic facilities to support the adult and children aquatic community.

Most of the existing facilities are older and in need of significant and expensive repairs. A new aquatic facility will help improve our community's access to swimming lessons, including water safety, which is important for Alameda residents as we are surrounded by water.

I respectfully encourage you to approve both the construction contract and the proposed project enhancements. This is an investment that will benefit the Alameda community for generations. We look forward to swimming in the new pool one day! Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Meeti Sudame
From: Rapha
To: CITYCOUNCIL-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Aquatic center construction
Date: Saturday, July 4, 2026 12:02:23 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members
As a participant in the Alameda Aquatic Masters program, I wanted to reach out and voice my enthusiastic support for the upcoming City Aquatic Center project, as well as the proposed funding boost for its enhancements.

The new Aquatic Center is vital to protecting and growing local aquatic programs. It ensures that Alamedans of all ages and skill level will have access to recreation, fitness, swimming lessons, and competitive swimming for years to come.

Furthermore, I fully endorse the inclusion of the scoreboard, competition timing system, and accompanying hardware. Equipping the facility with these features means our local teams can host meets right here in Alameda. It also gives ARPD the tools needed to revive our community's historic City Swim Meet, which has been sorely missed during its multi-year absence.

I respectfully encourage you to approve the construction contract along with the proposed funding for these project enhancements. This is an investment in our infrastructure that will pay dividends for generations to come
Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Raphael Casaes
From: Dave
To: CITYCOUNCIL-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Letter of Support for City Aquatic Center Funding Date: Saturday, July 4, 2026 9:27:28 AM
Dear Mayor and Members of the City Council:

I am writing as a member of Alameda Aquatic Masters to express my strong support for the City Aquatic Center project, including the proposed additional funding for competitive swimming enhancements.

Alameda currently has limited competitive swimming options for youth and adults alike. As an island city, our residents deserve modern, accessible aquatic facilities close to home rather than having to travel off-island for quality competitive pool access. The new Aquatic Center is an opportunity to change that—not just for Alameda, but for the entire East Bay, which currently lacks a dedicated modern competitive pool facility.

I strongly urge the City to fully invest in competitive swimming technologies, including the competition timing system, scoreboard, and related equipment. These upgrades would elevate the Aquatic Center from a community pool to a true competitive venue capable of hosting swim meets, invitationals, and championship events. This would allow all local teams to host
first-class competitive meets in Alameda, enable ARPD to revive the City's historic Swim Meet after several years' absence, and position Alameda as a year-round destination for swimmers from across the region.

A modern competitive facility of this caliber would fill a real gap in the East Bay, drawing swim clubs, schools, and masters teams that currently have nowhere comparable to compete. It would also provide our own youth and adult swimmers with the year-round training environment they need to develop and compete at higher levels, right here at home.

I respectfully encourage you to approve both the construction contract and the proposed project enhancements. This is an investment that will pay dividends for the Alameda community, and the broader region, for generations.

Thank you for your consideration.

Dave Hauser
From: Celeste L.

To: CITYCOUNCIL-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] City Aquatic Center
Date: Saturday, July 4, 2026 7:12:08 AM
Attachments: image.png
July 4, 2025
Dear Mayor Ashcraft and Members of the City Council:

I am writing as a member of Alameda Aquatic Masters to express my strong support for the City Aquatic Center project, including the proposed additional funding for the project enhancements.

I respectfully ask you to approve both the construction contract and the proposed project enhancements. This would be an investment that benefits the Alameda community for generations to come.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Celeste M. Lane
College Admissions Consultant
Alameda, CA 94501
415-412-7466

Alameda City CouncilJuly 7, 2026

Alameda City Council
July 7, 2026