PORT ANGELES — The City Council on Tuesday made some organizational moves to help decide the future location of a new city swimming pool.
And a new contract for the Port Angeles Swim Club at the existing pool was deferred one week until the council meets next Tuesday.
The council decided to add two Clallam County Family YMCA board members to an advisory committee studying where to locate the new pool.
The Y on Tuesday formally proposed operating a swimming pool in partnership with the city at the Francis Street YMCA headquarters.
City Council chambers were packed as Port Angeles Swim Club vice president Linda Crowley said club members were being asked to pay “exorbitant” fees for using the current William Shore Memorial Pool on Fifth Street next to City Hall.
A proposal to require swim club members to buy annual passes emerged during negotiations with the Parks and Recreation Department over how much the club was charged for using the pool.
The swim club, which has more than 60 members, now pays only for the cost of lifeguards.
Annual pool pass
An annual pool pass would cost the club’s city residents $100 a year and its county residents $150 a year, in addition to club dues that average $500 annually, Crowley said.
Then there are swim meet fees and travel expenses, she said.
The swim club should not be used to balance the city’s budget, she told the council.
Swim club vice president Jim Hoine said the club also is upset at losing the use of lane six, which club members were told was needed for pool staff training.
The two sides have been negotiating since October with no results, he said.
Mayor Richard Headrick described the matter as a policy issue being negotiated by the city staff.
If the city is going to charge the swim club a user fee, then the city must have a comprehensive plan for charging all sports clubs, he said.
Public Works Director Glenn Cutler, under whom parks and recreation falls since a staff reorganization in January, said he will present a proposed swim club contract to the City Council at its meeting next Tuesday at 6 p.m.
YMCA additions
Moving from the present pool to the future, the council grew its advisory committee on locating a new pool by two unnamed YMCA board members.
YMCA board member Ray Gruver presented the council with his organization’s proposal for a “full-service community center” Tuesday night.
It would consist of a new swimming pool adjacent to the current Clallam County Family YMCA building at 302 S. Francis St. as part of a comprehensive recreational corridor, he said.
Gruver said he envisions a cooperative agreement with the city regarding fees for the pool, and users wouldn’t have to be YMCA members.
It is cheaper to operate one facility versus a separate swimming pool and recreational facility, Gruver said.
The YMCA also could save $200,000 a year in operating costs compared with city operation, he said.
Gruver said cities are good at raising large amounts of capital but not as good at operating facilities, while nonprofit organizations can operate more efficiently but can’t raise money as well.
He said options for capital construction funds include a nonprofit loan supported by the city, a voter-approved bond issue or a metropolitan park district, perhaps in alignment with Port Angeles School District boundaries.
“One of the things we bring to the table is land,” Gruver said, noting the YMCA has bought several lots next to its Francis Street building.
The pool advisory committee meets next at 6 p.m. April 27 in the public works conference room at City Hall, 321 E. Fifth St.
