Mesa staff propose $800,000 net cut to parks budget; Fremont Pool slated to close after summer

Mesa — City staff on Monday presented a Parks and Recreation and Community Facilities budget that they say will meet an $800,000 net reduction to city resources through a mix of new fees, program reductions and service cuts.

Andrea Moore, director of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities, told the Mesa City Council study session the department projects about $300,000 in new revenue from fee adjustments that went into effect this month, plus reductions in operations and maintenance and program support to reach the $800,000 target.

The proposal includes several program eliminations and service reductions, the most notable of which is a plan to close Fremont Pool after this summer and leave the site decommissioned until a replacement pool can be brought online. "We're also proposing to close Fremont Pool after this summer," Moore said. Under an agreement with Mesa Public Schools, the department would demolish the pool and return the site to flat ground.

Why it matters: The closure reduces recurring operating costs but will remove a neighborhood pool from service for years; staff said the location is the system's oldest and needs extensive repairs. Council members raised concerns about service gaps for families and teens during the closure period.

What staff proposed and why - Reductions and offsets: Staff proposed achieving the $800,000 net reduction through a combination of roughly $300,000 of new fee revenue, elimination of specific O&M funding tied to the Elliot & Chrisman Park capital project (funds redeployed to Signal Butte Park Phase 2), reduced direct invoicing for the Mesa Powwow (a $15,000 annual reduction while in-kind support would continue), and trimming contracted basin maintenance frequency in winter months. - Program cuts: The department proposed canceling several special events and service hours (examples include fall/spring festivals at Webster, Jefferson and Eagles community centers; holiday hours at Red Mountain Center, the Tennis Center and pool holiday hours; Sunday closures for tennis and some pools except tournaments; elimination of school-break day camps at the three tri centers; and removal of Friday open gym at Eagles). Several aquatic program reductions were proposed, including eliminating off-season water exercise classes, reducing lap swim in the off-season, limiting pool special events to public swim hours or raising fees, reducing subsidized pool rental hours for affiliated youth groups, cutting one hour of daily public swim, and cancelling two daily swim-lesson sessions in high-subsidy slots. - Staffing adjustments: Staff asked to add 24.7 part‑time, non‑benefited FTEs into the budget to reflect positions already used to run programs (staff said those workers were previously paid from savings in other lines). The budgetary cost of those positions was described as an enhancement of about $1.3 million; the department is proposing offsetting increases and cuts so the net impact to the city's resources remains a $800,000 reduction. - Fees and cost recovery: The department proposes a second round of fee increases (9–10% across programs) to go into effect in the fall after advisory review by the Parks Board. Staff said commercial facility rentals are targeted to 100% cost recovery and that the department’s overall cost recovery is currently "about 32%". Specific cost recovery targets are already established by program/service level and staff said the work will be to move toward the upper end of those ranges.

Pools and capital timing - Replacement plans: Moore said bonds approved by voters include funds for replacement pools; staff are proceeding with design but construction timing will be reassessed based on future budget capacity. Moore said the Red Mountain replacement pool linked to the Fremont site "is not projected to come into existence for 6 years" and that design work for the Red Mountain and Eastmark pools has begun. She described the two pools as being designed under a single contract to save cost. - Project and design cost: Staff stated the Red Mountain project budget is roughly $34 million and estimated design at about 7–8% of the project ("less than $3,430,000"), and emphasized that completion timing affects future operations-and-maintenance obligations. - Local impacts: Staff said the department currently operates nine pools and closing Fremont would reduce systemwide count to eight; Shepherd Pool is the nearest alternative for the Fremont service area.

Capital and maintenance backlog Staff highlighted infrastructure funding limits: the presentation stated there is $3 million currently allocated for infrastructure replacement and that staff had requested increasing it to $6 million but were not able to secure that funding in this budget cycle. The department said it is roughly $14 million behind on irrigation projects and about $6 million behind on playground renovations; staff said many playgrounds were installed in the mid‑1980s and are reaching the end of their useful life.

Council response and next steps Council members asked for usage and participation data for specific programs before final decisions are made and several members expressed concern about the equity and neighborhood impacts of cuts, especially playground funding and the Fremont Pool closure. Council member Spilsbury said the six‑year gap until a replacement pool is "a really long time" for families; Moore and staff noted design is underway and that the city will reassess construction timing as fiscal conditions change.

No formal votes were taken at the study session. Staff said they will continue the design work for the voter‑approved pools, bring fee changes to the Parks Board in May for advisory review and return to council with final budget recommendations during the regular budget process.