Humboldt recreation director seeks $10,000 to support youth programs and struggling pool

Carla Peterson, recreation director for the city of Humboldt, asked the governing body at the meeting to include $5,000 for the recreation department and $5,000 for the aquatic center in the upcoming budget to support youth sports, programming and pool maintenance.

Peterson told the board the aquatic center continues to run a deficit: “Last year, our revenue was $114,873, and our expenditures were 181,000,” she said. She also said the department sold 323 season passes last year, brought in about $20,000 from daily admissions and ran swim lessons for roughly 400–500 children annually.

Peterson outlined maintenance needs and staffing constraints that limit operating hours. She said the pool’s slides and diving boards require a minimum staffing level of 12 lifeguards to operate fully; the department employed about 31 lifeguards and 16 admissions/concessions staff last year. Pay rates discussed in the meeting included lifeguards at about $12 per hour and admissions starting around $8 per hour. She noted lifeguard training for new hires is roughly a 21‑hour in‑person course, which limits the ability to quickly replace staff.

Peterson also described the broader recreation program that the requested funding would support: roughly 1,300 active rec‑center memberships (about 3,500 members including families), six seasonal youth sports programs, several clinics, free movies in the park, holiday events and community runs.

Board members thanked Peterson and placed the request on the list for budget consideration; no formal appropriation was made at the meeting.