Marina looks to move forward with sports complex, not everyone agrees

Aug 27, 2023

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City leaders in Marina are getting closer to breaking ground on a new and very large sports complex to replace the old Water City Roller Rink after it was shut down by the city for safety and code issues, according to Marina City Manager Layne Long. Plans also call for the adjacent Fort Ord pool, now locked up and covered in graffiti, to be transformed into a brand-new aquatic center.

The new plans do have an outdoor place for roller sports, but members of Monterey Bay Roller Derby team, who used to play at Water City, say they would prefer to just have the old facility fixed up and reopened.

The team has been working to find a permanent home since Water City was shut down in 2020 — first for stay-at-home orders and multiple code violations the following year.

"When you don't have a steady venue, it's hard to schedule games and scrimmages — things that make you the most prepared and competitive," said Dessy Murphy with Monterey Roller Derby.

The team now practices at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in the King City Room. Players we spoke to say the closure of Water City severely impacted the roller derby team and their fundraising.

"Pretty significantly with the closing of Water City," said Ali Hough with Monterey Bay Roller Derby. "It means that we are only a travel team now, so we can't hold any bouts or tournaments nearby, we can't sell tickets, we can't sell merchandise in a venue."

With no home venue, the team travels far for tournaments, and they can't host games at the fairgrounds, something they used to do at Water City, because of the shape and size of the room.

"The value of that old facility is that we had full space to do a regulation track and seating for visitors. We were able to hold an international tournament, so it really worked," said Murphy.

The city of Marina says they had to close Water City because of code violations, but plans are in place to build a new sports facility here. The plans call for a sports pavilion where roller hockey and roller derby could be played.

"Yes, that was one of the directions from our city council. So we have a design (for) a sports pavilion that would completely handle all those uses," said Long.

The 180-by-105-foot outdoor sports pavilion would include a metal roof, steel structure and seating for fans, but plans for the area don't stop there.

"We have a vision because we'd like Marina to be the destination capital of the Central Coast," said Cristina Medina Dirksen with Marina City Council. "We have a plan that's been in place for about seven years, at least in the making, to reenvision this whole space, not just the Water City."

Plans call for the Water City building to be transformed into a sports center with a gym, basketball court and indoor track. Outside — there would be multi-use fields, playgrounds, a picnic area, a pedestrian plaza walkway and a plan to rehab the old Fort Ord Pool into an aquatic center.

"It's going to have broad programming to get our maximum output for usage, but also to generate the revenue that we need, so it'll operate in the black," said Long. "So that's the exciting part."

But there are concerns from people who used to play at Water City. Since the sports pavilion would be outdoors, some are worried about moisture getting on the rink, and others just want the old facility fixed up and reopened and aren't sure why it needs all the other activities.

"I'm sure it's going to be a great facility, and the building definitely needs repair and update. It was definitely not in great shape, but I feel like there are a lot of (other gym) facilities already," said Hough. "I wish they'd maybe take into account the sports that were already being played."

The Montage Wellness Center, Anytime Fitness, Monterey Bay Moves, and Otter Sports Center are all within a mile of where the new sports center would go.

The city says they incorporated multi-uses because that is what the community said they wanted, but with many uses comes some size constraints, and that's why roller sports would have to stick to the outdoor pavilion.

"The space is not regulation size, and if we tried to put roller hockey in there with the multiple uses, it wouldn't work," said Medina-Dirksen.

If the city can come up with the funding, construction will start by this fall. In the meantime, though, the roller derby team still needs a proper place to play.

"I don't know when this thing (the project) will really get going," said Murphy. "And in that time, we are still scrambling. We need something now."

Building the complete facility will cost more than $30 million dollars. The city says they got some funds from the Fort Ord Reuse Bond. They also have a separate escrow bond and say park impact fees and money from different land sales in the city will also go to making the project happen, but city leaders are still working to secure the final chunk of funding.