ASPA

ALAMEDA SWIMMING POOL ASSOCIATION

Alameda Swimming Pool Association has provided the city of Alameda and community, especially the children, with aquatic-related offerings since its inception. 

The inspiration for the program originally came from Frank Weeden with the help of some of his close friends and associates. Weeden maintained that since Alameda is an island, all children should learn to swim. It was a practical matter of public safety as well as providing a healthy activity for the children of Alameda. The primary purpose of the program was for the benefit of the children first, and as an added feature, for their families and the swimming enthusiasts in the city. Weeden’s original program began with small children, kindergarten age or younger, in a pool owned by Weeden and some of his neighboring property owners.

The swimming pools at Lincoln Park and at Franklin Park were built in the mid-1950s. The land in the parks was leased from the city, but no city money was used for construction or maintaining the pools and their programs. The cost of building the pools was provided by Weeden and Fred Stolte of Stolte Inc. The city has been the beneficiary of the volunteer, nonprofit organization managing the pools since the original construction of the pools.

The nonprofit Alameda Swimming Pool Association (ASPA) was formed to oversee the operation and maintenance of the two pool sites and their programs. The board members are volunteers and do not receive payment for their time.

ASPA provides some of its programs for free, such as Kinderswim and senior swim, and other programs such as Beginners swim lessons, Reds, Greens and Blues lessons and Family Swim for its members. Learn more about the aquatics offerings for ASPA members here. For swimmers interested in competitive swimming, ASPA sponsors the Gators Swim Team, which has its own parent board of directors.

The structure of the ASPA, as originally conceived by Weeden and his associates, has worked successfully for years. It has provided a long-term stability that has enabled the pools and membership to stay the course in serving the children of Alameda.