City’s Park and Recreation Department To Discuss Raising Fees at Local Swimming Pool

There seems to be a lot of waves being generated at the Pat Granucci Aquatic Center at Hall park, only the waves are not being caused by the scores of swimmers who use the swimming pool for everything from swim meets to birthday parties.

Today, the City’s Park and Recreation Committee will discuss raising the fees at the local swimming pool and making a recommendation to the Dixon City Council to implement one of four plans that they hope will address current funding at the pool.

At the meeting, to be held within the chambers of the Dixon City Council, the commission will consider four options including:

• increasing the fees across the board (see the full rate increase schedule here), and implementing hourly ($110 an hour) and custodial fees ( $35) for swim meets in 2012.
• increasing the fees once in 2012, as described in the first option, and once more in 2012.
• Presenting an alternative fee increase schedule.
• Keep the fees as they currently are.

The first option would generate an additional $43,303 in revenue for 2012; option two would generate a total rise in revenue of  $47,025.

“Swimming pool fees has been a topic in the Parks and Recreation Commission for some time now,” read a city staff report read prepared by Dixon Fire Chief and Interim Community Services Director Aaron McAlister. “While the pool is not expected to recover 100 percent of its costs, the current cost recovery rate is relatively low and needs to be addressed in the upcoming budget in order to remain healthy.”

According to the report, many of the pool’s costs are difficult to fully capture. Several swimmers, their parents and swim teams including the Dixon Dolphins have expressed concern that the cost of using the pool will price out many local families.

“In just two short years the city has projected that the Dolphins will pay a total of $17,145 in pool fees, this is almost double of what we paid in 2011,” read a Dixon Dolphins message that was sent to parents. “At these proposed rates for pool fees, the Dolphins would have to raise the price for each swimmer to over $300 with no discounts for any additional swimmers.  Our registration numbers would drop very dramatically.  I told the subcommittee that with these suggested rates the Dolphins will not be able to afford to swim at the Dixon pool.  As a nonprofit recreational youth swim team we can’t afford these massive rate increases.”

See the full rate increase schedule by clicking here.