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Receipt and Filing of the Report Regarding the Culver City Plunge’s Lap Swimming Structure and Staffing.
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Meeting Date: September 2, 2025
Contact Person/Dept: Dani Cullens/PRCS
Phone Number: (310) 253-6471
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No []
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: []
Public Notification: (E-mail) Meetings and Agendas – Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission (08/29/2025); (E-mail) Parks, Recreation & Community Service Department Updates (08/29/2025)
Department Approval: Ted Stevens, PRCS Director (08/29/2025)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Parks, Recreation and Community Services (PRCS) Commission receive and file an update regarding the Culver City Plunge’s lap swimming structure and staffing.
BACKGROUND
Operated by PRCS Staff, the Plunge is 50-meter x 25-yard Olympic size competition pool. It also includes a 25-yard x 52-foot diving well with one-meter and three-meter springboards. The Plunge opened on August 31, 1949. At a PRCS Commission Special Meeting on November 21, 2025, specific concerns that were mentioned by the PRCS Commissioners included the types of programming being offered at the Plunge, issues with accessibility through the required registration system, revenue concerns, and lack of availability for the public.
At the PRCS Commission Special Meeting on April 17, 2025, the “Plunge Procedures Ad Hoc Subcommittee” was formed to specifically address different drop-in programming options at the Plunge and find solutions for staffing shortages. The last meeting of the “Plunge Procedures Ad Hoc Subcommittee” was on Tuesday, August 19, 2025 with PRCS staff.
DISCUSSION
Drop-In Programming
The Municipal Plunge can be configured for two types of swimming formats. For short course (25 yards), the pool is set up across its width, creating shorter lanes of 25 yards. This configuration allows for a greater number of lanes, which is beneficial for swim lessons, recreational swimming, water fitness classes, and local swim team practices. Short course is the most common setup for community and school swim programs in the United States. The Plunge can have 19 lanes when formatted for short course. However, in short course, the City dedicates one of the lanes to family swim, which is a program that requires a one-to-one ratio of parent/guardian to child and is intended to introduce young children to the water.
For long course (50 meters), the pool is set up lengthwise, creating Olympic-distance lanes of 50 meters. This format is used for higher-level training, competitive swim meets, and events that prepare athletes for regional, national, or international competition. Long course requires more pool space per swimmer and reduces the total number of lanes available. The Plunge can have 9 lanes when formatted for long course.
For lap swimming, the number of lanes and the times offered throughout the hours of operation changes quarterly based on the Culver City Unified School District (CCUSD) needs for the Plunge, staff availability, maintenance closures, and PRCS programming, such as swim lessons. In addition to lap swimming, PRCS also offers lanes for private rentals, private sports teams, aqua fitness classes for seniors, and recreational swim.
The current schedule has the Plunge closing from 1:00 PM-3:00 PM Monday-Friday in order to do maintenance to the facility, vacuum the pool, and complete necessary chemical tests on the water. The Plunge has dedicated hours for CCUSD from 3:00 PM- 5:00 PM Monday-Friday. The annual closure for The Plunge for maintenance is scheduled for December 14, 2025 to January 3, 2025.
The current lap swim schedule is shown in the below chart.
Currently, participants must register for lap swimming through the PRCS department’s online registration system, Activenet. Participants can register for the top of the hour in 60-minute increments. The cost per 60 minutes is $4 for adults and $3 for youth and seniors. People with disabilities get a 25% discount. If a participant does not show up for their registered time, a grace period of 10-minutes is given and then a standby participant who has not registered in advanced is allowed to fill the slot. Lifeguards blow their whistle at 55 minutes to signal that the hour is about to end. Participants have five minutes to finish their laps and exit the pool. Traditionally, 2 participants swim per lane.
The “Plunge Procedures Ad Hoc Subcommittee” is recommending that the staff begin offering drop-in lanes for lap swimming on a trial basis. Drop-in lanes would not require any registration, and participants would be allowed to swim in the lanes for as long as they would like. The cost to the participant would be the same as the reserved lane. Up to 4 participants would be allowed in the drop-in lane. If the drop-in lane is filled, participants will have to wait until one of the participants leaves the lane.
The lane allocation for drop-in lap swimming is shown in the chart below.
Drop-in lanes will be offered from September 8 to December 13, 2025. During this period, staff will offer a survey to the public to receive feedback on lap swimming.
Current Staffing Levels
On June 30, 2025, the PRCS Department along with the Culver City Human Resource Department hosted a hiring fair. The hiring fair was a one-day event that allowed interested applicants to complete every step of the application process. The needed steps to apply to be a lifeguard are:
• Submit an application
• Pass the required swim test
• Pass the interviewed
• Pass the required a physical examination
• Pass a background check
Incentives for new hires included $500 upon hire, $500 after 100 hours worked, and $500 after 500 hours worked. There was also a referral bonus offered to current staff for referring a new hire.
The current staffing levels at the Plunge are detailed below.
Each season, staff are required to submit an availability form showing when they can work. Many of the current employees at the Plunge are college students who will be leaving to return to their respective colleges. Based on the availability forms, the PRCS Department is anticipating losing 13 staff at the Plunge within the upcoming months.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
There is no fiscal impact to this discussion.
ATTACHMENTS
None.
MOTION
That the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission:
Receive and file the report.