Sam Ketchum Pool loses another $65,000

On Wednesday - the Central Cariboo Joint Committee will meet to discuss several matters pertaining to the Sam Ketchum Pool including the chlorine incident shutdown in Feb of this year.  View the full Agenda here

Geoff Paynton - the City of WL Director of Community Services will inform the Joint Committee that the chlorine incident saw a loss of $65,000 with little or no chance of making that loss up in the 2012 City fiscal year without major service reductions.  If those are not forthcoming, City/CRD Staff would then come back to the Joint Committee with a budget amendment to balance the books for the CMRC for this year.  He also reports that usage of the Sam Ketchum Pool is down as a result of the chlorine incident but numbers are beginning to creep upward but no guarantee that they will return to the same levels before the Feb chlorine incident

One question I have (and discussed with CRD Area 'D' Director Deb Bischoff yesterday) -- with the loss of $65,000 because of the closure of the Sam Ketchum Pool in Feb of this year and close to $100,000 because of last summer's Pool shutdown.  Should we discuss an option to temporarily closing the pool until a decision is made around a upgraded or brand new Sam Ketchum Pool?

Mr. Paynton also will report on possible upgrades to the liquid chlorine system and the possible installation of a UV (ultra-violet) water disinfection system.  Mr. Paynton is recommending that upgrades to the liquid chlorine system proceed immediately with discussions about the installation of a UV system occur in the fall for possible implementation in the 2013 fiscal year

Update:

One reader has reminded me (and should have pointed this out) that the $95,000 revenue loss at the Sam Ketchum Pool was made up by reduction in expenses and other revenue coming in to balance the 2011 Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex Operating Budget (and this is a good thing) but it is not always possible to see a revenue loss and then make it up throughout the rest of the budget year and as Geoff Paynton has pointed out to me -- running a municipal swimming pool (at the best of times) are still a "money eater" but as long as the community demands such a swimming pool, then I think that taxpayers' will, when push comes to shove, will pay whatever it takes to keep it running.  But on the other hand (and this was my point), if a 30 year swimming pool continues to lose money because of mechanical issues - how much revenue loss do you allow to occur before you decide if it is worth to invest additional dollars into running it with additional improvements or say "it's over", shut it down and plan for a new swimming pool, as the Central Cariboo region is currently doing with the "Pool Task Force".  Just a reminder to get out to the various areas where the Task Force will be engaging the public around what a new or improved Sam Ketchum Pool should look like...

Steve