2005-06-27 Regular Meeting, Workshop Meeting and Public Hearing of La Porte City Council

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Summary and Recommendations Again, staff has begun to implement the marketing outreach program at Brookglen and Fairmont to try to enhance attendance at these neighborhood pools. Its effectiveness will probably not be ascertained until the end of the season. As stated above, we accomplished substantial gains in reducing our operating deficit in 2004 over 2003, primarily because of price increases at the Wave Pool for non-resident users. Additional reductions may be possible based on usage at all the pools, particularly the Wave Pool. The Wave Pool generates about 80% of our revenues and attendance overall, but a lot depends on the weather. If we have a very wet summer and a hurricane, for example, our revenue numbers may very well plummet, driving up the cost of operations substantially. Staff is committed to continuing the marketing outreach at our neighborhood pools, and continuing to work to provide the best service at the least cost for our citizens. Last year staff proposed new water features for Fairmont and Brookglen Parks. This concept would require closing and demolition of the two existing neighborhood pools and adding spraygrounds at the two parks. Cost of demolition and installation of the playgrounds would cost in the neighborhood of $120,000 each, but savings in operational costs would approach $25,000-30,000 per year per pool (this estimate is based on Baytown operational costs of approximately $8,500 per year). The cost of installation could be recouped in 4-5 years, with substantial future savings to be attained over time. Because staffing is not required for these water features, they can operate for a much longer period of the year. For example, the City of Baytown opened their sprayground on April 2"d and will operate, without staffing (except maintenance) until October 30th.and, with no fees for users. Staff would certainly be interested in discussing this option further. Other options include adding special equipment such as water slides, etc. to the Wave Pool, like Seabrook has done, or adjusting fee schedules at existing pools to generate additional revenue. Staff believes we are providing good, swimming pool quality and service to our citizens. We welcome comments, suggestions and concerns regarding our pool operations for the City of La Porte.