BTC members discuss new aquatic center’s summer schedule, hours and rates during meeting

By John Estridge

Brookville Town Council members talked at length at their meeting, Tuesday, March 23, about what the pool rates and hours will be at Brookville’s new aquatic center.

BTC members Catherine Pelsor and Brooke Leffingwell met as council’s pool committee to work out rates, hours and employee pay scale for the pool. After the committee meeting, Leffingwell made a spread sheet with 18 different scenarios based on the different possible pool hours, days open, pay schedule and possible pool rates.

Leffingwell said she did not expect the pool to make money, but wanted to get as close as possible to a break even. However, she warned her cost figures were for possible personnel wages only and did not address ancillary costs such as utilities and equipment.

When previous town councils decided to go through with the building of the new aquatic center after the failing of the original Heap Memorial Pool, the fact the pool lost money annually and would need to be subsidized by the town government was taken into consideration.

Leffingwell’s spread sheet was based on different factors. These included the pool’s overall opening and closing schedule: Memorial Day to Labor Day, Memorial Day to August 4 (start of school) and Memorial Day to August 4 and then weekends through Labor Day.

Also there were options for daily hours for each scheduling option: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and noon to 7 p.m. And, after school starts, the daily hours could be 4-7 p.m.

Another factor was possible pay scales.

When it came to rates, Leffingwell figured in different scenarios which included different rates for residents and non residents.

Pelsor said she thought the opening time for the pool should be noon. BTC President Curtis Ward said Beth Foster, school board member, Brookville Redevelopment Commission member, and one of the driving forces behind the pool committee which came up with the donation drive and the aquatic center’s design, said the summer school day ends at noon so noon would also be a good time to open the pool daily.

BTC member Chuck Campbell said Leffingwell did a wonderful job on the spread sheets and thanked her numerous times for her efforts, but said town council members would also have to consider FICA payments the town must make for each employee.

It was the consensus of the town council members to table the matter until the next council meeting on Tuesday, April 13. Ward asked Pelsor and Leffingwell to meet as a committee prior to the next meeting and offer the full council their recommendations for all the factors.