Key Takeaways
- Highland High School alumnus Nate Franklin donated $13 million to build the East Side Aquatic Center, now owned by Kern High School District
- The Olympic-sized facility features 19 short-course lanes and serves 4,000 students from three adjacent schools
- B-Town Brazadas Swim Club launched as the anchor tenant, offering four program tiers from infant lessons to Masters swimming
- Bakersfield has produced two Olympic swimmers in the past two decades, but lacked competitive training infrastructure until now
- The 661 Foundation model directs a portion of Pacifico Energy Group profits to community facilities in regions where it invests
Corporate Philanthropy Meets School District Infrastructure
The East Side Aquatic Center officially opened on October 23 at Highland High School in Bakersfield, California, following a $13 million donation from Pacifico Energy Group CEO Nate Franklin. The facility is now owned and operated by the Kern High School District, creating a public-private partnership model where the school system controls the asset while community partners run programming.
Franklin, a Highland High School graduate, structured the gift through the 661 Foundation, Pacifico Energy Group’s philanthropic arm. The foundation directs profits from the firm’s infrastructure investments into education and recreation projects in markets where it operates.
The timing addresses a specific gap. Bakersfield produced Olympic swimmers Gabe Woodward and Larsen Jensen over the past 20 years, but local athletes lacked year-round training facilities at scale. The center sits 500 feet from both a middle school and elementary school, positioning it to serve 4,000 students across three campuses.
Facility Specifications Built for Dual-Use Demand
The center includes an Olympic-sized pool that converts between eight 50-meter lanes for long-course training and 19 25-yard lanes for short-course competition. The pool maintains a heated temperature between 79 and 82 degrees year-round.
Additional infrastructure includes locker rooms, indoor and outdoor showers, a team office, classroom space for instruction, and a fully integrated scoreboard with electronic timing. Stadium seating with shade structures and large fans accommodates spectators. The shallow end supports learn-to-swim programs and beginner instruction, while deck space allows for dry-land training.
The design reflects input from competitive swimming requirements but prioritizes accessibility. Franklin stated at the ribbon-cutting that the goal is to see “19 lanes filled from morning to evening with practices, PE classes, and learn-to-swim programs.”
Four-Tier Programming Through Brazadas Swim Club
B-Town Brazadas Swim Club, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2025, serves as the primary programming partner. The club operates four distinct programs:
Swim School offers lessons from age 6 months to 18 years with certified instructors, focusing on water safety and stroke development. Small class sizes enable personalized coaching.
Swim League provides a seasonal, recreational option emphasizing fun and participation over competitive intensity. The program targets families seeking structured activity without year-round commitment.
Swim Team delivers professional coaching for athletes pursuing local, regional, and national competition. Programming focuses on technique refinement, endurance building, and team culture.
Masters gives adult swimmers access to structured training and skill development in a group setting, accommodating both returning athletes and beginners.
The tiered structure allows the facility to serve multiple market segments simultaneously, a strategy common in multi-use aquatic centers but less typical in high school-based facilities.
District Ownership With Community Operations
The Kern High School District holds title to the facility, while Brazadas Swim Club operates programming through a partnership agreement. This structure differs from pure donation models where nonprofits own assets, and from pure district-run programs where schools manage all operations.
The arrangement gives the district control over a $13 million asset without operational responsibility for swim programming. Brazadas gains access to a competition-grade facility without capital costs or property management overhead.
Franklin framed the approach as requiring “community effort” to maximize lane usage across school hours, club practices, and public programs. The model assumes coordination between district PE requirements, competitive team schedules, and recreational swim offerings.
Capital Formation Through Regional Investment Ties
Pacifico Energy Group describes itself as a global investment manager focused on infrastructure and real assets, with platforms across Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and the United States. The firm’s portfolio includes utility-scale energy, aviation, real estate, and private equity.
The 661 Foundation, named for Bakersfield’s area code, channels profits from these investments into community projects. Recent initiatives include a public plaza at San Juan Capistrano City Hall, youth baseball scoreboards, and now the aquatic center.
Franklin connected the facility to his background in competitive swimming, stating the sport taught him “you can control your own destiny through hard work and dedication.” The narrative links entrepreneurial success back to youth sports participation, a common framing in CEO-led philanthropy.
The foundation model creates a recurring funding mechanism rather than a one-time gift, though the press release does not specify ongoing operational support beyond the capital investment.
Strategic Implications for Youth Aquatics
The project represents a significant capital commitment to a single facility in a mid-sized market. At $13 million, the donation exceeds typical school district aquatics budgets and creates a facility comparable to club-only training centers.
The multi-program structure through Brazadas addresses a persistent challenge in aquatics: balancing elite development with mass participation. The four-tier model allows revenue from recreational programs to support competitive operations, while giving the facility consistent utilization across age groups and skill levels.
The school district ownership provides long-term stability. Unlike club-owned facilities that face financing pressure and potential closure, district ownership ensures the asset remains available regardless of programming changes.
For other markets, the model offers a template where corporate philanthropy funds capital costs, school districts provide operational stability, and nonprofit partners deliver specialized programming. The approach requires alignment between multiple stakeholders but creates a sustainable structure for youth sports infrastructure.
The Bakersfield facility also signals growing corporate interest in youth sports as a community investment vehicle, particularly in executives’ hometown markets. Whether this model scales beyond individual CEO initiatives remains unclear, but the facility provides a case study in alternative financing for youth sports infrastructure.
via: Business Wire
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