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Council hears split over Nova South pool agreement as staff warns of operating losses
Summary
Council discussed a proposed memorandum of agreement with swim club Nova South that would extend pool use outside normal hours. Recreation staff warned the City would lose roughly $1,162.80 per week under the current lane-rental terms and requested $18,720 to hire a temporary aquatics specialist to cover four months of expanded service.
The City Council reviewed a proposed memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Nova South seeking expanded exclusive lane time at the Hopewell Community Center pool, and staff warned the schedule requested would cost the city more to operate than it would bring in.
The recreation director, identified in the meeting as Miss Martinez, told council the current lane rate in the MOA is $11 per lane per hour and that, under the club’s original request to use five lanes outside normal hours, the city would lose about $1,162.80 per week because the City generates roughly $396 in lane rental revenue for those sessions. Martinez said moving the lane rental rate to $15 per hour would lower the weekly loss to $1,018.80. She recommended the original MOA to staff but described a possible middle-ground schedule under which Nova South would use four lanes Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings, four lanes on other days during certain public hours, and six lanes on Saturday mornings when the facility is closed to the public.
Why it matters: Councilors framed the decision as a trade-off between preserving resident access to the pool for lessons and public programming and keeping an outside swim team that brings some use and (limited) revenue. Martinez said the city would need an additional aquatics program specialist for four months at a cost of $4,680 per month (total $18,720) to staff the expanded hours and that resuming Saturday hours plus weekday expansions would cost the City about $155,360.40 annually.
Council discussion focused on two questions: (1) whether the City should subsidize expanded hours so the team remains, and (2) whether the City can staff extra hours without diverting resources from resident programs. Martinez said she has made an offer to an aquatics specialist and is onboarding one candidate; a second specialist would be required to support the proposed schedule. She also said the City risks losing the swim team if the original MOA terms are adopted without further negotiation.
Council members asked that staff bring Nova South and City representatives together for direct negotiation and directed no immediate decision. Martinez said she would seek a joint meeting with the team to pursue a middle ground that preserves resident access while attempting to keep the swim team in Hopewell.
No formal vote was taken; the item remained in work-session discussion with staff directed to return with a negotiated MOA and clearer cost estimates.
