Bill Samborski, general manager of facilities, provided city council with an update on the fees for the Co-op Aquatic Centre Monday.
The fees had been brought up at the previous council meeting, at which the North Battleford Water Doves Synchronized Swimming Team had expressed frustration at the increase to rates.
In a separate memo, Keith Anderson addressed the rates for the Water Doves and other aquatics clubs. In the 2012-13 swim season, the clubs will be charged $80 per registered member, compared to $72 last year. Anderson noted the rates were artificially low, amounting to a total of 72 cents per swim.
In 2013, the per member fee will be eliminated and clubs will pay $52.50 per hour for rental of the competition pool and $8.75 per hour per lane when renting by lane only.
The rates were approved based on a need to recover over 50 per cent of operating costs, and were compared to rates of other similar facilities in Saskatoon, Regina, Prince Albert, Moose Jaw, Lloydminster, Swift Current, Yorkton and Meadow Lake. Compared to the other facilities, lane rental costs for the Co-op Aquatics Centre are the lowest, and the cost of renting the whole pool is the second lowest. The cost of renting the facility for swim meets is similar to the rates of the other communities.
In their correspondence to council at the last meeting, the Water Doves had also asked about being able to advertise to recover some portion of their costs. Though the new aquatic centre will not allow sponsorship banners or signs, the City is allowing the clubs to put up temporary signs for the duration of a tournament, subject to City approval.
Anderson recommended council implement the approved rates and work with the clubs to ensure they are aware of the option available to them to rent only part of the swimming pool. Though there was some resistance to the idea, with Trent Houk suggesting the City give the swim clubs a longer grace period, the resolution to approve the new rates was approved.
Rates for swimmers were also approved and with the exception of family rates, admission prices were unchanged from the last rate announcement. Children aged three to five cost $3 (they used to be free at the Kinsmen Aquatic Centre), children aged six to 12 cost $4 ($3.75 at Kinsmen), students and seniors cost $5 (up from $4.25) and adults cost $7 (up from $5.25). The family rate has changed from $12.25 to the sum of the individual rates less 15 per cent.
Rates for swim lessons are entirely unchanged, except that family lessons costs are the sum of individual costs minus 15 per cent.
The report also compared the 2011 operating budget of the Kinsmen Aquatic Centre to the yearly operating budget of the new facility. The Kinsmen Aquatics Centre had an operating budget of $667,506, and took in $300,439, 45 per cent of its operations. The operating budget for the Co-op Aquatic Centre is much larger, at $1,192,154, but the revenue is also expected to be larger, at $567,000, recovering 51 per cent of its operations. These numbers mean the City will require slightly less than twice the subsidy of the old facility for the new one.
