Piedmont City Council voted unanimously Monday night, May 18th, to approve new passes for the community pool and membership pricing for Piedmont’s community pool.
The Pool Advisory Committee recommended the type and pricing of membership passes after three meetings and feedback from Isaac Sports Group. The key goals for the Committee were to offer incentives for annual pass purchases with priority for Piedmont residents, and to break even on operation costs.
The new plan will allow families to add additional members to annual and summer passes at a lower fee. The flexible “Build-aPass” pricing model includes four base categories before other family members are added on:
• Adult ($891)
• Senior ($668)
• Youth ($668)
• Family ($1,337)
Piedmont residents can look forward to extra benefits, including lower prices, extra guest passes, earlier registration for pool programs, and additional single-use guest passes. Non-residents will pay a 40% higher price for annual and summer passes, as well as slightly higher prices for single-day use.
Once completed, the community pool is intended to operate on a “cost recovery” model. If revenues from pass sales, dropins, classes, and rentals fail to cover the cost of running the pool, money from the City’s General Fund would need to be used to fund pool operations.
Major revenue sources toward this cost recovery include annual pool pass purchases, drop-in fees, swim lessons, and facility rental fees. Isaac Sports Group estimated that cost recovery should be achieved by 2029 when it is estimated pool revenue to at least break even.
The last pool update in City Council chambers reported June 2 as the expected completion date for pool construction, not accounting for weather delays and four weeks of systems testing.
Pool Fees and Financial Assistance
“It’s expensive to go to this pool. If somebody wants to go to this pool on a Saturday afternoon, it’s going to cost them twenty bucks, plus or minus,” said PAC Chair Steve Roland at Monday’s Council Meeting. “Seems like a lot. I was uncomfortable with that the whole time – I’m still uncomfortable with it.”
Fortunately, it seems that programs may be in development to ensure that any resident that simply cannot afford the pool fee will still be able to enjoy the upcoming aquatic center.
“We’re going to look for tools and ways to get people in, especially to get them in to see the pool before they purchase a pass,” said Recreation Director Chelle Putzer.
Roland also mentioned the possibility of applying the Recreation Department’s Financial Assistance Program to help families afford pool access. Although currently the program applies to fee assistance with recreation programs, the program does not currently apply to the pool.
“It doesn’t come up a lot, so I think that’s why it’s never really been revised in the recent past,” said Putzer. “…it should be an item that the Rec. Commission should consider in terms of all of our Recreation program.”
The meeting was brought to a close, dedicated to the memory of community pool Project Executive George Sanen, who passed away earlier this month. Moving forward, the project will be led by Joshua Kaiser of Griffin Structures.
New Pool Pass – Pricing Details
The model begins with a choice of base category (adult, senior, family, student), then offers add-on options (adult, senior, youth, guest) that can be mixed and matched as-needed. Visitors can choose from an annual pass, which offers the largest discount, a seasonal summer (4 month) pass, or drop-in day passes.
Build-a-Pass: Base Categories
• Adult: One named adult, ages 18-64. Can easily become a “couples” pass with an Add-On adult.
• Senior: One named Senior, ages 65+.
• Family Pass: Up to four named individuals, minimum one adult, maximum 2 adults. (Can add-on additional adults.) Includes an unnamed Guest Pass at no additional charge.
• Student/Youth: One named Student/Youth age 13-22. Intended for returning college students or teens who are the household’s only swimmer. Does not offer add-ons.
Across all pass options, non-resident rates are proposed at 40% above resident pricing.
