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News from the City of Carlsbad | July 16, 2026

As Park and Recreation Month continues, I thought I’d begin with an update on the Monroe Street Pool improvements taking shape. You can go behind the scenes in this video and learn more in today’s newsletter.

And I’ll preview this Friday’s TGIF Concert, the last at Stagecoach Community Park before the series heads to Calavera Hills Community Park next week. Here’s the full lineup:



• Behind the scenes: Monroe Street Pool construction update
• Sway to yacht rock sounds at Friday’s TGIF concert
• Opportunities to help shape Barrio traffic circle public art
• Dive into the Carlsbad Lifeguard Academy
• Apply to serve on a city commission
• Make a splash at Aloha Plunge, plus more upcoming events
• What’s on the agenda for your next City Council meeting
• Happy birthday, Carlsbad!

Behind the scenes: Monroe Street Pool construction update

Construction continues to progress on the replacement and renovation of the Monroe Street Pool, locker rooms and other amenities, with completion expected by late summer to early fall 2026.

Here’s a behind-the-scenes peek at the construction underway.

Recent activities include:



• Preparing to pour the concrete around the pool, with the first pours scheduled to begin next week
• Completing interior finishes in the administration building, with floor tiling starting soon
• Continuing interior finishes in the mechanical equipment and family restroom building
• Completing the installation of the pool deck light fixtures and shade structure posts, with shade structure material installation coming next
•  Installing the solar water heating system and a stormwater filtration system on the west side of the site
• Continuing gas and electrical utility installation throughout the site in coordination with SDG&E

When finished, the renovated facility will feature a larger pool with 50% more lanes and upgrades to nearly every part of the complex, including restrooms, showers, locker rooms, lighting and mechanical systems. New shade structures, deck space and seating will make it more comfortable for swimmers, instructors and spectators alike.

We are on track for a late summer to early fall reopening. While some remaining work may continue in limited areas of the site after reopening, it is not expected to impact public use of the re-opened facility.

We appreciate everyone’s patience as we make these improvements and will continue to share updates as we near the completion of the project.

Sway to yacht rock sounds at Friday’s TGIF concert

Put on your captain’s hat and get ready to enjoy the last TGIF concert at Stagecoach Community Park before the summer concert series moves to Calavera Hills Community Park next week. Tomorrow, yacht rock band Harbor Party will fill the air with sun-drenched radio hits of the ’70s and ’80s.

Friday, July 17

Field opens at 4 p.m.

Concert starts at 6 p.m.

Stagecoach Community Park

3420 Camino de los Coches 

Heading to the concert? Here are a few helpful tips:



• Visit the pop-up art booth from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. to create your own comic book character. 
• Brush up on your dancing skills before the concert with Golden Hour Groove dance lessons with Bella Lux Entertainment from 5 to 5:45 p.m.
• Limited free parking is available across the street at La Costa Canyon High School. Free bike valet service is available at the park. 
• You can set up blankets and low-back chairs (which sit lower than 8 inches from the ground) for your group starting at 4 p.m. Please only take the space that you need. Seating is limited.
• Wondering what you can bring? See a list of the items that are allowed in the parks and what to leave at home.

Opportunities to help shape Barrio traffic circle public art

A new public art piece is coming to the Barrio in the traffic circle planned at Pine Avenue and Harding Street, and we’re inviting community members to help shape the design.

Artist Mario Torero will spend the last week of July meeting with community members in the neighborhood to gather the stories, memories, symbols and ideas that will help inform his design concept. Spanish interpretation will be available at all events:



• Saturday, July 25, 2 to 5 p.m. – Pine Avenue Community Center, 3209 Harding St. (outside the front entrance)
• Monday, July 27, 2 to 4 p.m. – Carlsbad Library Learning Center, 3368 Eureka Place
• Wednesday, July 29, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Lola's 7 Up Market & Deli, 3292 Roosevelt St.
• Wednesday, July 29, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. – Señor Grubby's, 377 Carlsbad Village Drive

If you can’t attend in person, you can provide input online or through a bilingual hotline established by the artist team:

• Take a short survey at carlsbadca.gov/barrioart by Friday, Aug. 7
• Share input by text or phone through the artist team's bilingual hotline at 760-306-3270

This video gives a quick look at the intersection where the traffic circle and art will be located.

Background

In July 2025, the City Council voted to move forward with the Barrio traffic calming project, which includes this one new traffic circle at the intersection of Pine Avenue and Harding Street, instead of five traffic circles as previously proposed. This was followed by the approval of several other improvements at various intersections to reduce speeds in the Barrio and improve neighborhood safety and walkability.

The public art portion is funded through the city's Art in Public Places Program.

• A public art advisory subcommittee including community representatives, arts and transportation professionals, and Arts Commissioners, selected Mario Torero as the artist to complete this public art piece.
• Mario has worked closely with Victor Ochoa, the artist who created the “Four Stages of History” mural in the Barrio, as a co-founder of San Diego’s world-famous Chicano Park and the Centro Cultural de la Raza in Balboa Park.

The input we receive will inform a draft design concept, which will be shared with the community for additional feedback before moving to the Arts Commission and City Council for review.

Dive into the Carlsbad Lifeguard Academy

Ashlee Williams was an entry level employee at the Alga Norte Aquatic Center in 2015 when she decided to go through the Carlsbad Lifeguard Academy to grow her skillset. That paid off when she got additional work as a city lifeguard. It also became a step on her journey to where she is today: the city’s Recreation Services Manager. She shares her story in this inspiring video.

I am always happy to see our employees grow, so I wanted to share that registration is now open for a special summer session of the Carlsbad Lifeguard Academy.

• The program provides the training and American Red Cross certifications typically required to work as a lifeguard at public aquatic facilities like ours.
• The academy has even helped launch careers beyond the pool!
• In this video, Ashlee shares how the program helped her continue her career at the city.

Carlsbad Lifeguard Academy

Alga Norte Aquatic Center

Swim competency test: Friday, July 31, 4 to 5 p.m.

Classes: Aug. 1-2 and Aug. 8-9, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Participants must be at least 18 years old by the last day of class.

Register here

Apply to serve on a city commission 

If you’re interested in getting involved and making a difference in our community, we currently have five scheduled vacancies on the city's Agriculture Conversion Mitigation Fee Citizens Advisory Committee.

This committee reviews grant applications and recommends funding for agricultural, coastal and wetland restoration projects using available developer mitigation fees.

Applicants must be Carlsbad residents who are registered to vote in the city. You can apply online or pick up an application in the City Clerk’s Office at City Hall, 1200 Carlsbad Village Drive.

Agricultural Conversion Mitigation Fee Citizens Advisory Committee

Five vacancies

Meetings: As needed, at least one per year

Deadline to apply: Monday, Aug. 10 at noon

Make a splash at Aloha Plunge, plus more upcoming events

Summer is in full swing, and this week's calendar is packed with opportunities to get out and enjoy the community, including our popular Aloha Plunge this Saturday from 5 to 8 p.m. at Alga Norte Aquatic Center.

Grab your flip flops and enjoy an evening of pool games, giant inflatables, the splash pad and a closing Polynesian dance performance where the audience can learn the hula.

Tickets are $15 per person, with free admission for children ages 3 and under. Online presale ends at 5 p.m. Friday. (Pro tip: Pick up wristbands in advance at Alga Norte Aquatic Center to avoid lines.) Wristbands will also be available for purchase at the door if we don’t sell out. Register and learn more.

Here’s a quick look at other events and activities happening soon at our city libraries, community centers and the Carlsbad Senior Center:

• Open Studios – youth – Friday, July 17, 11 a.m. to noon, Cole Library
• Cinema Club Friday: “Geronimo: An American Legend” – Friday, July 17, 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., Dove Library
• Let’s Talk Good Living – Monday, July 20, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., Carlsbad Senior Center
• Reel Wednesday: "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" – Wednesday, July 22, 4 and 7 p.m., Dove Library
• Beginning/Refresher Genealogy Class – Saturday, July 25, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Cole Library

What’s on the agenda for your next City Council meeting

The next City Council meeting will be on Tuesday, July 21, starting at 5 p.m. in the City Council Chamber. Topics include:

• Renewing the city’s workers’ compensation insurance policy 
• Appointing a voting delegate and an alternate to represent Carlsbad at the League of California Cities Annual Conference 
• Continuing the declaration of a local emergency to make repairs to a damaged sewage pipeline near the Agua Hedionda Lagoon 
• Appointing one member to the Arts Commission
• Adding stop signs in all directions at the intersections of Alicante Road and Galena Avenue, Calle Hidalgo and Camino De Amigos, and Paseo Cerro and Paseo Descanso
• Approval of the 2026 Hazard Reduction Cost Report, the annual program to eliminate the fire hazards of dry weeds and rubbish on vacant lots around the city 
• The annual assessments for the city's Lighting & Landscaping District No. 1
• The annual assessments for the city’s Lighting & Landscaping District No. 2
• The work plan for the city’s Traffic Safety & Mobility Commission 

The agenda and staff reports are available on the city’s website.

3 easy ways to participate

1. Sign up to get agendas and staff reports emailed to you directly
2. Provide feedback via email to clerk@carlsbadca.gov by 2 p.m. the day of the meeting 
3. Sign up to speak at the meeting or comment virtually.

… and 3 ways to watch

1. Follow the meeting live on the city's website 
2. Watch the meeting live on the city’s cable channel: Spectrum channel 24 or AT&T U-verse channel 99
3. Watch a recording of the meeting afterward (online or on our channel)

The City Council’s Economic Development Subcommittee is also scheduled to meet next week. Board and commission meetings are livestreamed on the city’s website and available to watch afterward. See the full meeting schedule on our city calendar.

Happy birthday, Carlsbad!

Today is the City of Carlsbad’s 74th birthday, and I want to thank the generations of residents, businesses, community organizations, volunteers, elected officials and city employees who have worked together to make Carlsbad the amazing city it is today.

Our economic vitality, environmental leadership and outstanding parks, libraries, arts and recreational programs make Carlsbad a place where people and businesses thrive.

We're building on our strong foundation by making steady progress on the goals outlined in the City Council's 5-Year Strategic Plan to help ensure we're making thoughtful decisions that preserve what makes Carlsbad special while preparing for the future.

Thank you for being part of our community and taking the time to stay informed about what's happening in our city.

Geoff Patnoe

City Manager