Pool Revenues Fall Short
Despite the lower annual cost offered to former Piedmont Swim Club (PSC) members, 300 did not buy passes that would have allowed them to continue to swim at the facility after City staff took over management. Piedmont residents purchased 129 annual passes and 130 seasonal passes. Sales of resident annual passes met expectations, but sales of resident seasonal passes fell short – only half of the 250 projected.
Non-residents purchased 32 seasonal passes, which exceeded the prediction of 25 sales, but only nine annual passes, falling short of the 40 predicted. The City’s future marketing efforts will focus on former PSC members and non-resident sales.
Other categories of income also fell well below the predicted levels. Swim Camp brought in only $10, 456 instead of $30,000. Group lessons amounted to $41,010 out of a projected $100,000. While the City will have many months to meet the expectations in some categories, the summer season shortfalls are determinative. Recreational swimming is most popular during the summer break from the school year. In addition, with each passing day the seasonal and annual passes are worth less both to purchasers and to the seller, the City.
As of July 26, after three and a half weeks of operation by the City, the operations of the pool were $204,000 below budgeted income. Seasonal pass sales in all categories benefited from the 10% discount offered for a “shortened season” costing the City $19,448. The PSC former member 10% discount on all pass categories cost the City $11,800.
The expense and income predictions were prepared by Recreation staff together with the City’s consultants Jeff Eorio and Joseph Serochi. Holding the currently projected taxpayer subsidy of the pool to $380,000 (50% of annual pool costs) requires expected pass sales to meet projections. Lower pool revenues will result in an increased taxpayer subsidy of the pool operating costs.
Link: Annual pass purchase form