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Recreation committee reviews Purvis Park pool finances, lifeguard pay and access rules
Summary
City committee examined Purvis Park pool draft year-end figures, noting expenses below budget but wage and overtime overruns tied to lifeguard pay increases and heavy summer demand; staff proposed operational changes including mobile check-in and stricter residency verification for pool passes.
University Heights’ Recreation Committee reviewed draft year‑end finances for the Purvis Park pool on Oct. 8, focusing on labor costs, revenue shortfalls and operational changes to reduce capacity problems.
Committee Chair Christopher Cooney told members the pool’s expense budget was $367,305, with current reported expenses of $353,012.69 and total pool revenue of $111,514.26. Pass sales produced roughly $81,880.75; swim‑lesson and concession receipts fell short of budgeted amounts.
Finance Director Dennis Kennedy said labor was the main driver of the variance. “The rates for the lifeguards were adjusted based on their seniority,” he said, explaining that some lifeguards received pay increases consistent with raises for other non‑union city staff. Cooney said the committee will track seasonal hours more closely to distinguish rate changes from scheduling impacts.
Pool manager Christine Kletecka and others pointed to unusually hot weather and a lifeguard shortage as operational causes for overtime and additional hires. “This was one of the hottest summers we had experienced on record, so we had several days where we would have to add lifeguards,” Kletecka said, noting the practice of increasing lifeguard counts on busy nights to raise capacity.
Committee members discussed ways to shore up pass‑revenue compliance and speed entry. Kletecka proposed a mobile tablet at the gate so staff could update photos, assist residents who can’t register online and speed check‑ins. “It would help tremendously,” she said of using an iPad to take photos and register patrons at the gate.
Kletecka also described an address‑based membership ID problem in the vendor system that allowed former residents or nonresidents to remain on family passes. To reduce abuse and capacity pressure, she recommended limiting the number of children per family pass, requiring proof of residency at registration and encouraging online pre‑registration so staff can verify records before peak days.
Cooney said the committee would factor the operational proposals into next year’s budget planning and would work to identify which items require additional appropriation or procedural change.
The committee did not take formal votes on new fees or policy changes during the meeting; members asked staff to return with implementation details and cost estimates.
