Everyone in the Fundraising Pool!

At the first annual Palisades Wine Fest on Sunday, patrons continuously filled their glasses with the finest grapes while the event’s special guest of honor remained noticeably dry.  That’s because the star of the day was the beloved—and empty—Temescal Swimming Pool.

Staged at a special banquet room at Gladstones, The Palisades Wine Fest benefited The Friends of Temescal Pool, formed in 2008 to represent citizens affected by the pool closure. Their goal is to work with the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and other interested parties to rebuild the pool and return it to the community.   The event was organized with the help of several concerned citizens, including Charlie Frank, Michael Cohen and John Yeh, who became involved early on.

“At the time I was on the Palisades YMCA Board and so I was close to the issue,” said Yeh. “The pipes were leaking and my analogy was that you have a car, you get a flat tire, then you throw away the car. That’s what happened with the pool in my opinion.  At the time it was a much smaller amount to bring the pool back. But again it would be a fraction of the cost then to build a new pool.”

Unfortunately, instead of repairing the pool, a decision was made to fill it, causing an uproar in the community (including protests). Many long-time residents young and old frequented the Temescal Pool. 

“We have a community here where swimming is a major part of our lives,” said Dr. Richard Olsen. “The pool was a great activity for everybody’s kids and they could go on the swim team there. That’s why Pali High has won all these city championships, because they have this feeder system.”

“I, as well as many others, felt that the pool was a community treasure,” said Susan Huser. “In the years since its closure, there hasn’t been a facility or program that has duplicated the support and friendships that emerged from the shared experience of swimming in glorious Temescal Canyon.”

“The reason I was so involved with the issue, is there are so many frail elderly people that swam at the pool and used it for rehab,” said Yeh. “They have arthritis, they have issues at their age and the closing of that pool affected them, more than anyone else. And that is why I took up the issue.”

“I have a hundred friends who are devastated by this pool being closed down,” said Olsen. “I think it was an injustice to humanity.”

The pool clearly has touched many lives. That may explain why the Palisades Wine Fest was a sell out and brought out many distinguished guests, including actor Gavin MacLeod (of The Love Boat). 

“I’ve lived here for ten years and been Honorary Member for five,” said MacLeod.  “The thing I’ve noticed about this community is people always pitch in. That’s one of the beautiful qualities the Pacific Palisadians have.”

MacLeod opened the festivities with a special ribbon-cutting. Guests enjoyed gourmet food and wine tastings from notable names such as Charles Krug and Baron Herzog, plus several impressive boutique wineries. Some of those had local connections, like Findleton, Cielo, and Illuminare.  Famed designer Cosimo Pizzulli, who started planting vines in his Palisades backyard, shared several Italian-style varietals from the Pizzulli Family Winery. 

The fundraiser included a silent auction, plus a special raffle for an Apple iPad2 and a 42-inch flat screen television.  Overall, those who came seemed happy to be part of a great cause.

“If you see the number of people who are interested in this pool it encompasses the entire community,” said Yeh.  “There’s a lot of people in my thank-you speech,” he added, listing major community leaders who have supported the pool—The Rotary Club, the Palisades Chamber of Commerce, the Optimist Club, The YMCA, Pali Charter High School, California Alliance for Retired Americans and The American Legion Post 283.  Government supporters included Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, State Sen. Fran Pavley, Councilman Bill Rosendahl and State Assemblywoman Julia Brownley.

Despite struggles with the conservancy and challenges to re-open the pool, Yeh remains hopeful the community’s grassroots efforts will prevail and benefit those in need.

“We believe the future of this pool will help at-risk kids, because the Boys and Girls Club has expressed an interest in using the pool. The SMCC has a mandate to serve at-risk kids and the elderly so this is a part of that,” Yeh said.

One guest who frequented the Temescal Pool offered her own unique take on its appeal.

“They used to call it a magical pool because hawks would fly over and deer would come down and feed on the sides of the canyon. It was amazing.”