May 25, 2006

By Robert Mihalek

The Gaunt Park Pool is scheduled to open Monday, June 12, more than a week later than last year.

The opening is being delayed because of repairs the Village needed to make on a pump and by this month’s cool weather, Village Manager Eric Swansen said.

The pool will close Aug. 19.

Prices for season passes and general admission entry are going up significantly.

Season passes for households cost $105, up from $90, which patrons paid last year if they bought passes after the pool opened. Passes for adults 19 and older cost $90 per person, up from $50 for regular season passes in 2005. Passes for kids 4–18 cost $60 per person, compared to $40 last summer.

Season passes are now available and can be purchased at the Village utility window in the Bryan Community Center.

Onetime general admission prices this summer will be $3.75 for children 4–18 and $4.75 for adults 19 and older. The pool will charge $4.75 per day for lap swimming.

Last summer general admission was $2 for kids and $3 for adults. Children younger than 4 continue to use the pool for free, as long as they are accompanied by a paying adult.

Prices are rising this summer to “lessen the impact to the budget,” Swansen said.

The 2006 budget includes deficits in three utility funds and the general fund, which provides money to operate the pool. To address the situation, the Village is offering early retirement for employees and considering cutting services and placing some kind of tax increase on the November ballot.

Although prices are increasing this summer, Swansen said the Village is still not going to make money on Gaunt Pool. “We run the pool at a loss,” he said.

But if the Village does not receive new revenue sources, Swansen said, 2007 could be a decisive year for the pool’s future, because it is not a service the Village is mandated to provide.

He said the pool’s primary purpose is to provide activities for youth, to “get kids in contact with caring adults.” The pool also is a “safety and fitness facility,” where people can learn to swim and exercise, he said.

In addition to raising fees, the Village hopes to improve concession sales to bring in more revenue, Swansen said.

The Village also is working with Greene Metropolitan Housing Authority to offer discounted pool passes for children.

Susan Stiles, the executive director of the housing authority, said passes will be available to children of families with income that is at or below 50 percent of area median income. The passes are available for a $5 contribution, she said.

Greene Met will have 50 passes available beginning next week, Stiles said. Families interested in acquiring the passes should call Mary Jo Post at Greene Met, 376-2908.

The agency is able to offer the passes thanks to a grant from the Yellow Springs Community Foundation. Greene Met, which is also chipping in some money, is buying the passes from the Village at a discount.

Pool hours will be 1 to 8 p.m., seven days a week. Swansen said pool manager Jen Malone will determine when adult lap swim will be offered.

Contact: rmihalek@ysnews.com