PORT ANGELES — The William Shore Memorial Pool District and the Clallam County Family YMCA have approved a proposal for the YMCA to operate the Port Angeles public pool.
The metropolitan park district commissioners accepted the YMCA’s revised proposal of $363,552 per year on Tuesday. The YMCA board unanimously approved it Wednesday.
A final contract is expected to be completed at the end of February.
“Then we’ll go into a negotiating period to hammer the contract out,” said Charles McClain, finance committee member, Tuesday.
Those conversations will begin next week, said Kyle Cronk, YMCA executive director, Wednesday, adding that details will include such aspects as how to share any revenue increase.
“We’re all looking to moving forward. We think this is good for the community,” Cronk said.
“We’re very eager to enter into the partnership and think the public-private partnership is a good way to go,” he added.
The park district commissioners expect to consider a final contract proposal at their next meeting Feb. 23.
If the contract is finalized, William Shore Memorial Pool at 225 E. Fifth St. will remain open to the public — not just YMCA members.
The YMCA was the sole organization to bid on a contract after the new metropolitan park district’s five-member commission requested applications in November.
The nonprofit organization’s original proposal to operate the pool was $413,700.
The YMCA offered a revised proposal of $363,552, which covers $316,132 cost of operation and a 15 percent administrative fee.
If the YMCA is able to earn more than its average income of $15,600 per month, the excess likely will be split between the YMCA and the pool district, pool district officials said.
Decision about operations
Pool officials had been trying to decide whether they should contract pool operations to the YMCA or hire their own staff.
“We always come back to the fact that subcontracting out the operations of the pool is more in keeping with the spirit of taking care of the money that we are receiving from the individuals throughout the county,” McClain said.
“If we had to do it, we would be doing it more from scratch and it would be difficult for this board and the staff of this board.
“We just don’t know what’s out there in terms of hiring an executive director to run an organization like this.”
Voters approved creating the park district last spring to save the pool from imminent closure.
The indoor pool previously belonged to the city, which decided in 2008 that it could no longer afford to keep it open. Taxpayers within the Port Angeles School District are paying 14.8 cents into the pool levy this year.
The city of Port Angeles still manages the pool, but that agreement is set to expire April 1.
Mike Chapman, the park district chairman who is also a Clallam County commissioner, said having someone else run the day-to-day operations of the pool will lower costs.
“When you begin to hire your own people, you begin to create a government bureaucracy and that government bureaucracy will continue,” Chapman said, in response to a question from the pool’s advisory committee.
“The salaries, the benefits, the unionization of that bureaucracy over the course of the next 20 years will create a whole other layer of government in this community that didn’t exist. Penciling that out, we don’t think we can afford that.”
Cherie Kidd, park district commissioner and Port Angeles city councilwoman, said the pool board has a responsibility to make a public relations effort to explain why the district is contracting with the YMCA.
“We, as pool commissioners, must address any misconceptions and make sure the public is on board with where we’re going, why we’re doing it, how we’re doing it, and explain the benefits of this,” Kidd said.
Chapman said hiring a new, government staff would be unsustainable and unfair to the taxpayers.
“I’ve been committed to keeping this a lean operation, keeping the taxpayer dollars protected and having the pool open and available to the public,” Chapman said.
‘Best of two options’
“We are trying to do this as lean a possible. And I know folks may have some concerns about the YMCA, but I think it’s the best of the two options if you’re talking about protecting the taxpayer dollar and providing the most robust program.”
Cronk said he hopes to drive up use of the public pool.
“For us, the motivation comes down to looking at how we can serve more people in new and different ways,” Cronk said.
“We’re really trying to help from a lifestyle point of view — getting people out and moving — and to bolster the pool district and to make sure the community has an asset like a public pool.”
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
Managing Editor Leah Leach contributed to this story.
