It’s a rule of thumb that recreation directors know well. City pools don’t make money. City pools cost money.
In that regard, the Jones Aquatic Center could be Exhibit A.
In theory, Emporia’s 5-year-old pool could pay for itself. So long as everyone was willing to pay another $4.50 or so at the gate, that is. That would double the $4.50 admission charge for adults and nearly triple the $2.50 admission rate for children.
That’s more than recreation director Tom McEvoy really wants to do.
“I want people to participate and go out and enjoy themselves, that’s the most important thing,” he said. “The fees and charges that we do charge are to help offset the cost. The community is investing in itself, that’s the important thing.”
In a good year, the pool can cover its own personnel and concession costs with a little left over to give the city. At the end of last summer, the carryover amount came to nearly $12,000, although that was whittled down to $5,114 by the final report that winter.
But even the higher figure would barely begin to cover the $85,000 to $90,000 a year that the city typically budgets to help the Emporia Recreation Commission subsidize the pool. Add in what the recreation commission itself is spending and the aquatic center’s expenses came to nearly $158,000 in 2005. Its total revenues, by contrast, came to around $82,000.
“There is not one pool in the state of Kansas that we know of that is turning a profit,” McEvoy said.
Where does all the money go? As with any city service, a lot of it is spent on people. Nearly $55,000 went to pay for lifeguards, aquatic managers, cashiers and other workers. Add to that about $13,000 for city personnel expenses, typically maintenance. Another $12,000 or so went for concessions, but that’s usually covered by concession sales with some room to spare.
One big expense for the pool each year are the chemicals for the water. Chemicals cost nearly $26,000 in 2005 and have already passed that mark this summer. Utilities — including water service, of course — ate up close to $38,000, higher than usual thanks to rate increases in natural gas and city services. The little that is left covers a variety of smaller bills, such as the insurance on the pool or any equipment needed.
None of this is out of the ordinary for the aquatic center. It’s spending this money on a smaller group of people than it used to, however. Attendance at the pool is half what it was when it opened in 2002. That first year, the pool drew 34,859 people. This summer, it’s on track to pull in about 17,000, if August attendance remains similar to what it was in 2005.
The big difference, McEvoy pointed out, is that the aquatics center isn’t brand new anymore. People have gotten used to it. And like any other attraction, he said, it needs to reinvent itself every so often and add a few new things to keep people coming in the door.
“It’s a great facility for the community,” McEvoy said. “It just needs to be kept fresh. That’s why they add roller coasters in amusement parks every couple of years.”
No specific proposals have been made yet, though a few things have come up. At a recent recreation commission meeting for example, commission member Roger Hartsook suggested adding a few play features in the area for small children, along with about an inch or two of standing water to splash in. Other things were originally planned to be part of the aquatic center but had to be cut for budget reasons, such as a shelter house or a nearby walking trail.
It’s time to start talking about those changes, McEvoy said, so that when the overall city budget improves, things can start to be done.
“It’s not immediately going to happen,” he said. “But we need to plan for improvements there when the time comes.”
For now, McEvoy maintains that the aquatic center is still the best value in town for its patrons. Compare it to the cost of going to the movies, he said, or a game of bowling, and it comes out pretty favorably.
“You get six hours at the aquatic center for $2.50 a day,” McEvoy said. “If you look at the leisure pursuits available in the summer, it’s very cost-affordable.”