Water polo and swim teams will get the 50-meter pool of their
dreams after all. The City Council voted Wednesday to build that
competition pool at a full 7-foot depth instead of a proposed
4-ft., 6-in. depth at one end.
Water polo and swim teams will get the 50-meter pool of their dreams after all. The City Council voted Wednesday to build that competition pool at a full 7-foot depth instead of a proposed 4-ft., 6-in. depth at one end.
The center, planned for Condit Road and Barrett Avenue near the soccer complex, will open Memorial Day 2004, if all goes well.
Lauren Livingston of Sports Management Group said a pool with a 7-foot depth overall would not be available for classes or other recreation purposes. She said it would mean less revenue for the city because fewer swim classes could be offered.
“This,” she said, “would cause a $30,000-$40,000 revenue loss.”
Younger children could not use the deeper pool.
Councilman Larry Carr answered that, when he taught swimming, all the kids especially wanted to take classes in the deep water pool.
Carr told his colleagues that, in order to qualify for national swimming tournaments, the pool would have to be built at the 7-ft. depth. He also mentioned the revenue regional and national meets would bring to a wide range of local businesses.
There was some dissension from the public.
“What started out as an aquatics center for Morgan Hill has grown into a regional center at a cost of $12.5 million,” said resident Mark Grzan. “I believe this … exceeds the … wishes of the community and what it can afford.”
Grzan also said that Gilroy loves this because Morgan Hill is, in effect, building an aquatic center for their citizens.
It was finally determined that the short L-shaped end of the pool would have a shallower depth but would deepen fast to meet the 7-ft. criteria.
SMG is the consulting firm hired to assist city staff with determining the proper fee schedules and recreation offerings to make the center as close to self-supporting as possible.
Livingston took the council through the projected revenue/cost estimations for operating the center’s facilities to show how large a subsidy it would be called upon to provide until the center became entirely self-supporting, if it does.
Based on nine months of operation, the subsidy would be $154,000; on 12-month operation, $276,000. annually in the third year.
Councilman Steve Tate said he preferred to delay the center for a year.
“Then we can begin to lose money one year later,” he said.
In other action Wednesday, Council also voted, 5-0, in favor of raising the water rates in 2 percent increments, beginning April 1, 2003, then annually on Jan. 1 of 2004, ‘05, ‘06, ‘07. The city’s finance director was instructed to report to council in each September to explain the need for the upcoming Jan. 1 rate raise. Council reserved the right to deny the rise.
Conservation was an issue.
“Of a $6 million budget, the city is only spending $13,000 on water conservation efforts,” said resident Wes Rolley. “That is 1/4 of 1 percent.”
Public Works Director Jim Ashcraft explained that a significant part of the money Morgan Hill pays the Santa Clara Valley Water District goes for conservation purposes.
