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Parks director outlines post-COVID spikes, rising pool chemical and energy costs, and solar returns

December 04, 2025 | Helena City, Lewis and Clark County, Montana


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Parks director outlines post-COVID spikes, rising pool chemical and energy costs, and solar returns
Parks department staff gave the commission a detailed revenue-and-expenditure review for the Civic Center, golf course, swimming pool and youth programs.

Staff said the Civic Center had a post-COVID expenditure spike related to honoring rescheduled shows. The golf course has seen revenue trends improve from 2022 through 2025, helped by in-house seasonal software and the addition of three simulators. The swimming pool faces sharply rising operating costs: staff cited a roughly 10% annual increase in chlorine costs over five years and said chlorine spending rose from about $33,000 a year to about $67,000 a year. Older boilers and energy costs are a major driver of pool expense.

Staff identified a $34,000 anomaly in the Case Kids youth program fund that they expect to resolve by adjusting temporary-staff-hour budgeting; they said the program is intended to break even. Commissioners asked about solar options; staff reported recent solar returns of roughly $450 for the golf course and about $700 for fleet maintenance over a sampling period, and said solar may offset lighting and electrical costs though pool boiler gas remains the primary energy use.

Staff said fee and budget discussions for potential operational adjustments will occur in the January-February budget process and that they will bring usage and solar-return data back to the commission for those deliberations.

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