From a City of Piedmont press release on May 16:
The City Council will consider a recommendation from the Community Pool Advisory Committee for a pass structure and pricing model for use of Piedmont’s new pool at their regular meeting on Monday, May 19.
City Council Meeting: Pool Pass Model and Pricing
Monday, May 19, 6:00pm | Piedmont City Hall, 120 Vista Avenue
Agenda | Staff Report
The Committee spent three meetings working to refine the pricing model before arriving at a recommendation, deliberating on how to optimize fees to best strike the delicate balance between maximizing accessibility for the community while ensuring a sustainable operational model.
Like other Recreation programming, the pool is intended to operate on a “cost recovery” model. If revenues from pass sales, drop-ins, classes, and rentals fail to cover the cost of running the pool, dollars from the City’s General Fund would need to be diverted from other services to fund pool operations.
Recommended model prioritizes flexibility and resident benefits
The recommended “build a pass” model is designed to offer community members broad flexibility to purchase annual or seasonal (summer) passes that meet the unique needs of their household. In contrast to the limited pass options available at the old pool, this framework creates opportunities for everyone to access passholder benefits without paying for features they don’t need.
Piedmont residents would receive priority for purchasing summer passes, the opportunity to purchase additional guest passes, and priority registration for programs, classes, and camps. Rental reservations for the poolside party room and rooftop pavilion would open to residents one month before they become available to non-residents.
Proposed pass pricing details
The model begins with a choice of base category (adult, senior, family, student), then offers add-on options (adult, senior, youth, guest) that can be mixed and matched as-needed. Visitors could choose from an annual pass, which offers the largest discount, a seasonal summer (4 month) pass, or drop-in day passes.
The proposed rates are benchmarked to adult pass pricing for 2019, the last full year of pool service. Proposed pass rates would begin at 15% above 2019 levels, with annual adjustments based on inflation. Across all pass options, non-resident rates are proposed at 40% above resident pricing.
As construction nears completion, City looks forward to critical “commissioning” period to determine opening date
Across both pools, the new facility will have more than twice the water space of the old pool, providing greater flexibility for pool users including:
- more lap lanes throughout the day
- opportunity to use lap lanes and access the competition pool even when teams are training
- open pool use available at the same time as programs (swim lessons, aquatic fitness, adaptiveprogramming, recreation) are happening
Construction on the new community pool is expected to be complete this summer. Once construction is complete, the project will enter a period known as “commissioning,” when the complex systems that run the all-electric facility are tested to ensure all components are working together and as designed. This phase can last as little as six weeks – or much longer, if testing reveals issues that must be resolved. An expected opening date will be announced after the commissioning process is underway.
Photos courtesy of the City of Piedmont