November 13, 2010 in City

City’s pool fees to double

Rates still won’t cover expenses, officials say

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Less than two years after the Spokane Park Board started charging a fee to use the city’s swimming pools, the board voted Friday to double the rate.

Youth ages 4 to 17 will now pay $2 and adults will pay $4, up from $1 and $2, to swim at Spokane’s public swimming pools. Entry will be free for children 3 and younger.

Season passes for youths have doubled to $60. Adult season passes doubled to $120. Preseason discounts are still available.

Park officials say the increase still won’t come close to covering the cost of operating the six new city pools, which were paid for with a property tax approved by voters in 2007, because expenses are increasing at a greater rate than revenue.

“Our aquatic program is one of the most heavily subsidized programs,” said Nancy Goodspeed, spokeswoman for the city parks department. “The fees don’t even cover the actual costs.”

This year, parks and recreation spent $860,000 to operate the pools, but brought in $289,000 from fees, lessons and pool rentals. This is more than double the 2009 revenue, but still far less than the $530,000 projected.

In these tough economic times, the fee hike will allow the pools to stay open without cutting programs they offer, Goodspeed said.

“The whole thing truly comes down to funding,” she said. “Everyone is tightening their belt. If we don’t charge the fees, we don’t open the pools.”

She said the increase should not prevent anyone from enjoying the pools because the Spokane Parks Foundation will continue its “Make a Splash” campaign, which offers sponsorships so low-income families can continue to use the pools.

Last year, the foundation sponsored 20,000 day passes, which were available at the city’s six pools and City Hall. Fewer than half – just 8,800 – were used. The foundation also pays for some swimsuits and lessons for low-income children.

The one board member of nine who voted against the hike, city Councilman Bob Apple, said the revenue increase is not worth the community backlash they will see when the pools reopen next year.

“It’s not going to raise enough money to combat the outrage we’ll see from the public next June,” he said.

Apple said the $2 fee is nothing compared to the $17 the board figured it cost them per person, per visit, to operate the pools.

“I think the public, when they passed the bond issue, expected free or near-free swimming and that’s what we should provide,” he said. “This is one of the things we subsidize and it should be subsidized.”

The board voted in 2009 to charge a $1 fee just before the new pools opened – the first time Spokane charged kids a fee to swim except for one summer, in 1982.

The new rates will take effect in 2011.

Four comments on this story so far. Add yours!

• 

  lewis8457 on November 13 at 9:13 a.m.

  We voted in the levy for the new pools knowing the majority of people using them are poor children. Now we get to hear how even with doubling the fee the expense far out weighs the money coming in. How is it the powers that be couldn’t for see that?

  Same issue will become apparent once they start caring for all the baseball and soccer fields they have built around town. Have you been to Shadle park lately? District 81 took over 75% of the park and built a real nice baseball stadium there. Right by the fence telling me to keep out it says this project is from the school bond. Gee i thought that was going to building updates to be more efficient, not outlandish custom stadiums.

  Now all the pee wee teams that used to use the park for football have to play in the uneven ground behind the concrete band stage.

  Our property taxes go up every year and we loose our parks to the so called broke school district and our poor kids have to pay to swim.

  But our public servants have to make kings wages, what the heck is wrong with that?

• 

  Pat O'Leary on November 13 at 4:46 p.m.

  This is absurd. What does it cost when Grandma goes to the Manito greenhouse or into the Rose Garden, how about children coasting on their sleds, watching the ducks at Manito, walking one’s dog in the park. The parks aren’t supposed to be a revenue source for the Parks Department, they are supposed to be for the enjoyment of the people and that includes those at the pools. If you want to charge…charge everyone. As usual, Bob Apple is right on.

• 

  Ed Byrnes on November 14 at 12:43 a.m.

  When I see the mayor, top administrators and the economic (alleged) development staff reduce their salaries, benefits and perks then I will be convinced that other budget cuts were made before asking for this fee increase.

• 

  Rock60 on November 14 at 7:48 a.m.

  Pat OLeary — The parks are not a source of revenue, they are a loss. Maintenance and operations fees should be borne by those that use them. The citizenry should not pay for the user’s enjoyment of them.