Moving Toward a Self-Sustainable Aquatics Funding Model

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(Photos by Lara Swimmer Photography)
(Photos by Lara Swimmer Photography)

Of all the municipal recreation programs that suffered budget cuts during the Great Recession, perhaps no area has taken a bigger hit than aquatics. Public pools have never been a profitable line item in recreation budgets, bogged down by expensive initial construction costs and ongoing maintenance needs. Public pools drained their waters left and right to save on operational costs, and even with budgets rebounding, deferred maintenance has caused expenses to increase to the point where many programs have no choice but to close down indefinitely.

Despite the grim recent history, municipal recreation departments continue to see the benefits of aquatic programming outweighing the costs. The approach to new aquatic construction or renovations has changed, however, as more cities look to operate their aquatic programs as a business. "Outside of the Pacific Northwest and areas of the South, there aren't a lot of municipalities looking to develop a standalone aquatic facility, for the simple reason that they aren't going to be self-sustainable," says Darin Barr, a senior associate with recreation programming consultants Ballard*King Associates, headquartered in Highlands Ranch, Colo. The focus of most programs is to pair the aquatic component with other revenue-driving amenities that can help offset the cost, such as a fitness center, gymnasium or athletic fields.

"The programming of those facilities — whether standalone or paired — is off the charts in that there's not anything people aren't willing to try," Barr says, "and that's driven by wanting to generate as much revenue as possible."
 

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