#02 Request to open Riverside wading pool
LEISURE SERVICES DEPARTMENT MEMORANDUM
August 14, 2009
TO: City Council
FROM: Bonnie Davis, Recreation Director
Jennifer Petruzzello, Neighborhood Services Director
SUBJECT: Action on a Request to Open Riverside Pool for Partners in
Prevention Family Fun Fest
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INTRODUCTION
The Leisure Services Department has received a request from Partners in
Prevention and Council President Bill Truman, to have Riverside Pool opened for
the Partners in Prevention Family Fun Fest scheduled for Saturday, September
12 at Riverside Park.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
The Leisure Services Department’s recommendation is to deny this request
based upon the financial cost, difficulty in securing lifeguards, uncertainty of
chlorine levels, questionable weather, the Council’s decision to shorten the
aquatic’s season, and the inequity this approval would raise with other
organizations.
Staff would note that in the end, this decision is largely one of policy and service
level.
SUGGESTED MOTION
I make a motion to deny the request of Partners in Prevention to open Riverside
Wading Pool for the Family Fun Fest.
CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDATION
I concur with the recommendation not to have Riverside Wading Pool open for
Family Fun Fest. I am concerned about re-opening a closed facility for a single
day event and that all other aquatics facilities will be closed at this time.
DISCUSSION
Partners in Prevention is a non-profit organization, which is planning a Family
Fun Fest in Riverside Park on Saturday, September 12, 2009 from 11:00 AM to
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3:00 PM. This is the 15 year that the organization has sponsored the Family
Fun Fest and the first year in which they have requested the Wading Pool to be
opened.
Riverside Wading Pool is scheduled to close on August 23, 2009. During last
year’s budget discussion, the City Council made a decision to close all City
aquatic facilities one week earlier, and delay the opening of Palmer wading pool
by one week.
To accommodate the request of Partners in Prevention, the Recreation division
would need to look at two options. The first option would be to close the pool on
the scheduled closing date and re-open for the event. The second option would
be to keep the pool running with the filtration system operating. The costs for
both options are shown below:
Option 1: Close the pool and re-open*
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If we close the pool on Sunday, August 23 as scheduled, we would incur the
following expenses to re-open :
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10 hours of staff time @ $40.00/hour
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Refilling the pool @ an initial cost of $40.00 plus $10.00/day for five days
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Chemical costs of $100.00
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Lifeguard costs for the day: $108.00
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Total Cost: $698
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Option 2: Keep the pool filled (but not staffed) from August 24 –
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September 12
If we continue to keep Riverside pool filled through September 12 we would incur
the following expenses:
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Electrical costs of $35.00 each day for 21 days
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Daily water costs of $10/day
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Chemical costs of $600
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Lifeguard costs for event day: $108.00
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Total Cost: $1,653
Below is a brief listing of some advantages and disadvantages of opening the
Wading pool for this event.
Advantages:
Opening the pool would provide an added amenity to the Family Fun Fest and
demonstrate City support for their event.
Opening the pool would provide a higher level of service.
Disadvantages:
Added financial cost to the aquatic’s program (including additional staff time to
re-open)
It is anticipated that there would be difficulty in securing lifeguards for the day
given most have returned to school.
With option #1, there is some uncertainty that the correct chlorine levels could be
established.
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With option #2, there is a safety and maintenance concern over leaving the
facility open, but unattended for 3 weeks.
Weather in mid-September can be questionable and residents are generally not
anticipating an outdoor aquatic experience at that time, so the number of users is
anticipated to be small.
This appears to be inconsistent with the Council’s decision to shorten the
aquatic’s season city-wide.
Approving this request could set a precedence that could lead to other special
requests for use of City facilities without a means of recovering the cost.
cc: Eric Levitt, City Manager
Jacob J. Winzenz, Asst. City Manager/Director of Administrative Services
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