Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Aquatics Pilot topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
South Coast Community Aquatics says winter pilot drew roughly 3,000–3,800 visits; recommends steps to lower heating costs
Summary
South Coast Community Aquatics (SCCA) presented results of a three-month winter pilot that used Crescent City’s resurfaced pool. Attendance was reported at about 3,000 to 3,800 uses; total expenses were roughly $60,000, offset by grants and local revenue. The group outlined lessons and staffing recommendations for future year-round aquatics.
South Coast Community Aquatics presented results of its winter pilot to the Brookings City Council on April 14, reporting strong community interest, higher-than-expected heating costs and a multi-source funding approach.
Veil Early, speaking for SCCA, said the program operated for three months, six days per week, with programming and staffing provided by Fred Ender. SCCA said it worked in partnership with Crescent City to use that community’s pool, which had been recently resurfaced, after the Brookings facility closed for repairs.
Attendance and finances SCCA reported roughly 3,000 recorded uses and estimated that actual usage was higher — between 3,600 and 3,800 individual pool uses — because tracking was imperfect during the first one to two weeks. The organization reported total expenses of a little over $60,000, and said the original budget had been about $35,000, meaning heating and related costs exceeded early estimates.
SCCA said revenue split with Crescent City included roughly $8,000 attributed to the City of Crescent City and about $12,000 to the SCCA-managed facility, with a noted split of $10,277.70 in the packet figures. Early said grants and donor support helped offset costs, citing an Oregon Community Foundation grant of $20,000 and donations from the Jane Gibney/John Akins Foundation, Reach, Caliber Life Flight and Advanced Health.
Program impacts and lessons Early said the community embraced the outdoor pool and that swim-team and masters swimmers reported improved conditioning and times. The group noted higher demand for swim lessons, underestimated heating costs, differences in safety and employment practices between California and Oregon, and the need for better marketing to alert residents when the pool is open.
SCCA’s recommendations included exploring options to lower heating costs; recruiting lifeguards who are not high-school students to cover more hours during winter; networking with the community college and recruiting older lifeguards as Crescent City has done; and evaluating year-round aquatics options.
Staffing and operations Sienna Orley, identified as a former pool manager, introduced the new pool manager, Sarah (last name not given in the transcript). Sarah said she had been in town for about two weeks, has started hiring staff and plans a season running May through October.
Ending: SCCA thanked city staff for operational support. Councilors and attendees asked about tracking residency of users; SCCA said ZIP-code capture was inconsistent but estimated Brookings made up about 60% of users and Crescent City about 40% based on program participation patterns.
