Sunnyside parks board focuses on pool funding, lifeguard staffing and a soccer master plan; elects leadership

The Sunnyside City Parks and Recreation Board on an organizational meeting discussed a package of measures to shore up pool operations, to pursue a soccer master plan using REIT funding, and elected its 2025 leadership.

City Manager Mike Gonzales told the board the city is studying ways to run the pool more efficiently while the council considers a proposed 2% utility tax that, if approved, could be earmarked to support the pool. Gonzales said community groups have offered support: “If the council is to approve the 2% utility tax, they’ll definitely donate up to $50,000 to support,” he said.

Why it matters: the board framed pool operations as both a budget pressure and a potential local economic driver. Board members pressed for concrete schedules, clearer pricing, and staffing plans so the pool can open reliably for summer programs, swim teams and weekend public swim.

Board discussion and context

Gonzales outlined several cost drivers the board can address: small swim-lesson rosters, overlap between classes, and staffing levels. He said the city sometimes paid lifeguards to staff sessions with very few participants, and that anemic class sizes made some swim lessons effectively cost the city more than the fee collected. "We paid a hundred and $25 for the swim lesson," Gonzales said, describing an example in which a $35 fee did not cover staff time. He urged combining…