In November 2022, Carlsbad voters let the city spend up to $24 million rebuilding Monroe Street Pool. With the inflation adjustments built into that measure, the ceiling could have reached nearly $27 million. The finished project cost about $21 million. The pool at 3401 Monroe Street, next to the Carlsbad High School football field, was scheduled by the city to reopen to the public on Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 6 a.m., after a closure that started in March 2025.
The bigger pool and new locker rooms are the obvious changes. The one that affects weekly routines is in how passes work. Carlsbad now sells one membership that covers both Monroe Street Pool and the Alga Norte Aquatic Center, so the city's two pools work as a single system. For anyone who swims regularly in the north end of the city, that changes when you go, where you go, and which pass is worth buying.
One Membership Now Covers Monroe and Alga Norte
You used to buy separate passes for Monroe Street and Alga Norte. Now one overall membership gets you into both, according to the City of Carlsbad's reopening announcement. What you need to do depends on the pass you had:
- Former Monroe Street Pool passholders with a monthly or quarterly pass need to buy the new combined pass. You can do that online through the city's registration system or in person at the pool.
- Alga Norte members with an active monthly or quarterly membership don't need to do anything. Their pass now works at Monroe Street too.
- Drop-in swimmers can buy day passes only in person, at the front desk.
The combined pass grew out of the closure. During construction, city representative Natalie Reed told The Coast News that the city's swimming programs and recreation carried on at Alga Norte. Monroe regulars spent more than a year getting used to the drive south. Now they can keep using Alga Norte when its schedule suits them better, and Alga Norte members get a second pool closer to the Village without paying again.
The Fee Table, and Where a Membership Pays Off
The city's aquatic fee schedule lists these rates. Its footnote says memberships give access to both facilities.
| Option | Monthly | Quarterly |
|---|---|---|
| Individual membership | $40 | $116 |
| Family membership | $62 | $174 |
| Each additional member | $20 | $44 |
| Masters Swim membership | $70 | $196 |
| Masters Swim add-on | $45 | $135 |
| Drop-in | Fee |
|---|---|
| Adult | $5 |
| Youth | $3 |
| Aquatic fitness class | $7 |
| Masters Swim | $7 |
| Spectator | $2 |
Carlsbad residents get a 10% discount on memberships. The schedule does not list a resident discount for drop-in admission.
At listed prices, eight adult drop-ins cost $40, the same as one month of an individual membership. If you swim twice a week, you reach that point before the month is out, and the resident discount lowers it further. The quarterly individual rate of $116 is $4 less than three monthly payments. Masters follows the same pattern: ten $7 workouts add up to the $70 monthly fee. According to the city's registration listing, a Masters pass covers the workouts and also facility admission during lap and recreation hours.
Swim clubs and individuals who need a dedicated lane can rent one for $24, or $20 for nonprofits. Residents get the 10% discount on lane rentals too.
What $21 Million Rebuilt
When Monroe Street Pool opened in 1982, it was not built for 44 years of daily use. The rebuild replaced aging piping, pumps, filters, tile, plaster, decking and drainage, the parts that had to be updated to meet current health, safety and building codes. According to the city and The Coast News coverage of the Oct. 29 ribbon-cutting, the renovated facility adds:
- A larger pool with 50% more lanes
- An expanded deck with lockers and outdoor showers
- More shade and bleacher seating
- Updated locker rooms and new family restrooms
- An outdoor entrance that lets swimmers skip the locker rooms
- A redesigned lobby, first aid and administrative offices, and a room for meetings and small gatherings
- A larger parking lot
- A replacement solar water heating system and new rooftop solar panels that generate electricity
The outdoor entrance and the deck lockers make it quicker to get in and out. Someone fitting in a lap swim before work can walk from the parking lot to the water without going through the building.
The size of the pool was debated before construction started. In 2024, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the approved design called for a 33-meter pool with 15 lanes, replacing a 25-meter pool. The paper also described Carlsbad High School as one of the pool's biggest users. Spencer Rodman, the school's swim and water polo coach, spoke in favor of a 50-meter pool. The approved design added both length and lanes while stopping short of 50 meters. The mayor and four councilmembers attended the Oct. 29 preview: Mayor Keith Blackburn and Councilmembers Priya Bhat-Patel, Melanie Burkholder, Kevin Shin and Teresa Acosta.
City Manager Geoff Patnoe told The Coast News that Monroe Street Pool "will continue to provide a place for people of all ages to swim, learn and stay active for years to come."
Hours, Lanes and the Calendar to Check
The city's facility listing gives these hours starting Nov. 3:
- Weekdays: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Weekends: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Maintenance closure: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Those are the hours the building is open. They are not the lap swim times. Both city pools run lap swim, recreation swim, private lessons and water fitness, and each one is scheduled on the city's pool use calendar. Check the calendar before you go, especially in the first weeks while programs are still being scheduled at Monroe.
Two lap swim rules apply at both pools. Swimmers are asked to share lanes, and no one is guaranteed a lane alone. Long-course swimming is suspended until further notice so the city can open as many lanes as possible. The extra lanes at Monroe are meant to ease both, giving more of the city's lap swimmers room in the north end.
For families, the recreation swim rules are the same at both pools. An adult has to be in the water with children under 8. One child under 3 gets in free with a paying adult. Children under 10 need a parent on site the whole time. Anyone who wants to use deep water has to show the lifeguard they can swim. Swim lesson registration doesn't include rec or lap swim admission. The city's aquatic fitness page currently lists Aqua-Fit and Deep Water Boot Camp at Alga Norte. Under the shared membership, those classes are still part of a Monroe swimmer's options.
Built for the Block Around It
Some of the changes are aimed at the neighbors as much as the swimmers. An 8-foot wall with metal gates along Monroe Street is designed to cut noise for nearby homes, and the project also enlarged the parking lot. A pool beside a high school football field gets busy at the times when school, practice and early swim sessions overlap. The city designed the rebuild with that in mind.
The rebuild also shows how Carlsbad handles large projects. Under Proposition H, a city law passed in 1982, the same year the pool opened, voters must approve certain construction projects that use more than $1 million in general fund money. That is why the pool went on the ballot as Measure J. The City Council approved the construction contract on Jan. 14, 2025.
If you swim on Saturday, Nov. 14, you can stay on the same block afterward. The Woman's Club of Carlsbad is holding its Holiday Market at 3320 Monroe Street from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. A morning lap swim and the market fit into the same few hours. For more on the parks, routines and streets around the Village, see our Carlsbad neighborhood guide.
At Epic Real Estate and Management, we keep an eye on the parts of Carlsbad that shape everyday routines, like a rebuilt pool coming back a few blocks from home. If you'd like to talk through how places like Monroe Street Pool fit into your plans in North County, or just want a local perspective, Roy is glad to help. Let's Connect.
