Speaker for August 11 - Stacey Arazua

We had a splashingly good presentation by Stacey Zarazua, Aquatics Supervisor for the City of Ventura Parks, Recreation, and Community Partnership Department.  She has worked for the City of Ventura for ten years and has been in the aquatics field for over 18 years.  She provided us with a great overview of the Ventura Aquatic Center (“VAC”).

The VAC creates community by bringing people together.  In July 2011, the VAC literally had 32,549 people walk through its doors.  It is not uncommon for the VAC to host 600 or more people daily in the summer time.

The VAC is home to a variety of novice sports teams including water polo, dive, and synchronized swim.  The VAC hosts Family Float Nights and Dive-In Movie Nights, as well as many children’s birthday parties. 

The VAC prides itself on developing the future workforce.  Many of the approximately 60 support staff are in their first jobs ever.  It is a wonderful opportunity to teach them the fundamentals of the workplace such as arriving on time, following polices and procedures, and working as part of a team.  Stacey is especially proud when she sees 16 and 17 year olds quickly and efficiently handling problems as they arise.

Although many people may not think of the VAC as a source of tourism, it is.  The VAC hosts a variety of competitive sports in which teams from outside the city come to participate, such as swim meets and the Junior Water Polo Olympics.  In addition, residents from neighboring communities may use the facility after paying a small non-resident fee.

Although the VAC had 134,873 visitors and gross revenue of approximately $650,000 for 2010, it still operated in the red.  This is extremely common for municipal pools that on average only recoup 30-40% of their costs.  The VAC actually does better, recouping approximately 60% of its costs. 

In response to John Borneman’s concerns about wearing his Speedo, Stacey informed us that although John can wear his Speedo, he (and the rest of us) may not wear tee shirts, shorts, or sports wear in the pool.  The dyes, detergents, and lint wreak havoc on the filtration system. 

The area surrounding the VAC has been expanded to include softball and other sport fields.  The master plan for the remaining areas include plans for a community center, gymnasium, tennis, and play structures.  Unfortunately, there is currently no funding to move forward with these plans.

You may get additional information on hours, schedules, and fees at www.cityofventura.net/aquatics.

Thank you Stacey for a very informative presentation.

Deborah A. Perkins