Recreation board endorses reduced hours for Great Mills pool; county adds $50,000 subsidy

The St. Mary’s County Recreation and Parks Board on April 3 endorsed a staff recommendation to reduce weekday mid‑day hours at the Great Mills pool to lower operating losses. The board’s vote came after staff presented attendance, revenue and expense data and a set of operational changes proposed to begin in the fall season when the pool’s dome is removed.

The change responds in part to a $50,000 allocation the county commissioners included in the recommended FY2009 budget to subsidize the pool. Recreation staff said the proposal — which trims about 22 operating hours per week and shifts morning weekday programming to Monday, Wednesday and Friday only — would save roughly $23,167 in personnel costs over the season. A board member moved to endorse the proposal and the motion passed by voice vote.

Why it matters: the pool carries high fixed costs for utilities and staffing. Staff told the board that personnel and utilities make up the majority of the facility’s expenditures and that energy costs are a large driver of the operating deficit. Commissioners’ one‑time subsidy combined with the proposed hours cut would reduce, but not eliminate, the pool’s annual operating loss.

Staff presentation and figures Arthur Shepherd,…