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Staff recommends consultant-operated summer aquatics program; council asks for further financial details and RFP follow-up
Summary
A staff report on Christopher High School Aquatic Center operations recommended retaining a consultant model as most cost-effective. Council asked for more forward-looking revenue and cost projections and directed staff to issue an RFP this summer and return with results.
City staff presented a review of the Christopher High School Aquatic Center on June 16 and recommended that the city continue to use an outside operator for the seasonal aquatics program while retaining the option to reevaluate a city-run, year-round model if facility ownership and staffing permit.
Monica Zendejas, who previously oversaw Gilroy's aquatics operations, presented the analysis. She summarized the facility's history: the pool opened to the public in 2012 through a cooperative agreement with Gilroy Unified School District; the city contributed $4.3 million for land, development and construction and the district manages pool sanitation and maintenance. The aquatic center includes a zero-entry activity pool with play features and two elevated waterslides plus a separate competition pool with two diving boards. Staff noted the district invoices the city its equitable share for pool maintenance (about $76,600 annually), while waterslide maintenance and periodic replastering add substantial long-term capital needs (slide waxes roughly every 4'6 years; replastering roughly every 7'10 years; staff estimated roughly $1 million over the next 10 years for major upkeep).
Staff compared historical city-run operations (2011, 2018-2019) with consultant-run seasons (2023-2024). Key findings: - Operating a pool with waterslides requires more lifeguards and specialized training (OSHA dispatching rules for slides, daily slide inspections, additional staffing for 10/20 scanning coverage). Lifeguard certification is time- and cost-intensive and retention is challenging. - Consultant operation reduced the city's net loss compared with city-run operations in the years analyzed; staff showed the consultant model produced higher swim-lesson participation and lower net subsidy in the seasons compared. - The facility design limits swim-lesson capacity: the activity pool is shallow and not optimized for lessons; the competition pool has limited shallow area.
Staff's recommendation was to continue using a consultant operator as the most cost-effective approach and to include a discussion of a city-run year-round program in any future recreation assessment. Staff said the current contract with Swimming Swan expires Oct. 31, 2025; staff said it would release an RFP this summer and return in the fall with a recommended award for the 2026 season.
Council response and direction
Councilmembers pressed for a forward-looking set of financial projections, not simply historical comparisons, and asked staff to obtain revenue and expense data from the contractor where available. Questions included whether disabling waterslides would materially reduce costs (staff said slide insurance and special staffing account for a significant share of expense) and whether the city could pursue a hybrid season structure (weekday lessons, limited weekend recreation swim). Several councilmembers said aquatics is a high-value community service and asked staff to pursue creative delivery options in the RFP process.
Why it matters: The decision affects access to swim lessons and recreation swim, matters the council flagged as public-safety priorities; the funding model affects the city's recreation budget and future capital preservation demands for the facility.
Ending: Staff will release an RFP this summer, seek more detailed contractor financial metrics for future forecasting, and return to council in the fall with contract award recommendations and projected budget impacts for FY2026.
