Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Aquatic Center topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Kasson City park board reviews aquatic center losses, weighs punch-card and sponsor-night promotions
Summary
The Kasson City Park Board reviewed a packet showing lower pool visitation and operating losses, discussed marketing ideas — including punch-card passes, sponsor nights and food-truck/movie events — and asked the city administrator to analyze a proposed punch-card option before the next meeting.
Kasson City's Park Board opened its meeting by approving last month's minutes and spent the bulk of its time on a review of the city's aquatic center, where visitation and revenue were down for the season despite some concession profits.
Board members presented a packet of financial figures and maintenance notes, saying overall attendance fell this year and the city absorbed higher operations costs. One board member said non-resident family visits fell by nine, reducing admissions revenue by about $4,500. A staff member supplied the revenue and expense pages and said wages this year were about 10–15% lower after management tightened staffing when attendance dipped.
Why it matters: The pool is treated as a public commodity that typically operates at a net loss; the board's decisions about programming and pricing determine how much subsidy the city must provide and how the facility serves residents and nearby communities.
Board members and staff brainstormed several low-cost strategies to boost attendance and revenue. Proposals that got support included: a punch-card or "buy nine, get the 10th free" pass for occasional users; sponsor nights (local employers pay a flat fee to reserve the pool during festival or fair weekends); targeted family nights with one or two food trucks; brief special events such as cannonball contests or shallow-water volleyball; and expanded social-media promotion, including a dedicated pool account.
Direct quotes and direction: A board member summarized the near-term approach: "Let's have Tim talk to Tim and then bring it back to us at the next meeting" to mean staff should run financial models and logistics before the board approves any changes. (The transcript refers to the city administrator "Tim" as the staff contact but does not record Tim speaking at this meeting.)
On pricing and concessions, members noted some food items (nachos, pizza, pretzels) sell well while low-margin items and staffing for concession stands during private rentals erode returns. The group discussed whether to continue half-pool rentals or require renters to book the whole facility; private rentals had fallen notably this season.
Adult programs and operations: Early-morning adult lap swim draws few participants; members discussed offering morning water aerobics if an instructor can be found, but noted scheduling and instructor-pay constraints (typical adult lap swim runs about 7'8 a.m. with a single lifeguard). Members also asked staff to start documenting pool closures and the number of staff sent home when attendance is low so the board can better assess causes of revenue decline.
Next steps: Rather than adopting a new pass or rate structure at this meeting, the board asked the city administrator to analyze the punch-card option and return recommendations at the next meeting. The board agreed to pilot a small number of one-off events (one food-truck night in June, one in July) and to explore sponsor-night logistics for festival/fair time.
Ending: The board left open further detail on pricing and event logistics and agreed to revisit concrete proposals after staff analysis. If staff recommends moving forward, the board will consider formal motions at a subsequent meeting.
