While it shouldn’t be all that surprising (seeing as Carlsbad seems loaded with members of the “screw you, me-first” crowd) more than 25,000 people actually voted against updating the facilities at Carlsbad’s 40-year-old Monroe public pool. It’s sad that nearly half the voting community didn’t see the need for a good swimming pool facility that can be used by both the community and the students of Carlsbad High School. Thankfully, 26,576 people voted in favor of spending close to $24 million to update the entire pool facility. So it’s going to happen. And to those people we say thank you!
Here are a few of the things we can all look forward to:
• Expansion of pool for larger swimming (50% more lanes) and water polo competitions
• New 8-foot wall with gates along Monroe Street side to reduce sound from the pool
• Larger pool deck with lockers
• New exterior deck showers
• Renovated locker rooms
• More shade structures
• More bleachers
• Larger parking lot
• New entrances including an outdoor option that will no longer require passing through the locker rooms
• Reconfigured lobby, new first aid/administration offices and meeting/event room
• Replacement of pool tile, plaster, piping, pool deck, drainage, pumps and filters
• New building with mechanical room and family restrooms
• Separate mechanical room access for service vehicles to reduce parking lot impacts for users
• Replacement of existing solar water heating system and installation of rooftop solar panels to generate electricity
• Enhancement of equipment storage space
We’re seriously looking forward to the Village finally having a pool that’s as nice as the one at Alga Norte. A place where all of Carlsbad’s kids can learn to swim, cool off in the summer, and develop skills that may help them get a full ride college scholarship. And to those who voted NO, you’ll still be able to use the updated pool anyway. We are a community, after all. If you’d like to stay updated on any and all projects the City of Carlsbad has in the works, click here to sign up for the emails!
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Have a problem that needs a solution? First thing you need is money. And thanks to a vote by the Carlsbad City Council last night (August 30, 2022) the City of Carlsbad, through its “state of emergency” proclamation, now has $2 million more to put toward making our streets safer for everyone. . . even entitled, belligerent drivers who believe that anything on the road that is not a speeding car is a nuisance.
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Negotiating Carlsbad’s Oddest Intersection
by The Editors on April 4, 2023
The City of Carlsbad is doing their best in mitigating traffic issues around town. They’ve developed training programs for e-bikes, handed out Safer Together Slow Down Carlsbad signs, and even declared a state of local emergency when it comes to traffic problems. But one effort stands out as their oddest work yet. And that is the intersection of Valley Street and Tamarack Avenue.
Located at the southeast corner of Valley Middle School the intersection is jammed morning and afternoon by kids walking to and from school, parents driving their kids to and from school, and angry commuters just trying to get up or down Tamarack. It obviously needed some kind of traffic solution, but what the City came up with is one of the most confusing, least understood traffic lights in all of Carlsbad. In fact, it is the first such intersection application in the City. It’s called a “pedestrian hybrid signal” a.k.a. Hawk signal.
The lights only function when a pedestrian presses the button to cross the street. The rest of the time the signals simply tower over the intersection like loitering giants with nothing to do. During the morning and afternoon school commute, however, the lights blast out a nearly unintelligible series of red and yellow lights. Sometimes blinking, other times solid. But with nary a green light to be seen.
The City of Carlsbad should have known their solution to the intersection was a failure when they were forced to implement an extensive educational campaign (including light boards on both sides of the intersection) explaining how drivers should use it. Sadly, few paid attention to the educational materials and now that the light boards are gone most drivers continue to be mystified by how to proceed through the intersection once a pedestrian has pressed the crossing button.
So, to help everyone out. Here’s how it works.
It’s that simple. Any questions? Here’s the graphic if you’re a visual learner.
The oddest part about the entire solution is that a simple three-way stop i.e. adding stop signs on both directions of Tamarack Avenue, would have solved most all of the intersection’s problems. City Staff did not think that was a good idea. Sadly, they were wrong.
[Editors Note: Last night (April 3, 2023) the City of Carlsbad Traffic and Mobility Commission met to update everyone on general traffic issues and specifically hear a report from City Staff on how the intersection of Tamarack Avenue and Valley Street is working. As is usually the case, City Staff believes that what the City has done is the right thing and their report seemed overly positive. To hear the City report and see the comment from one person Click here.]
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