Union pool to open Monday

“Just, out of clarity, it is not our goal to make money,” he said. “It (operating the pool) is a service. We feel like that was not unusual in the scope of the last 30 years of the pool running.”

Pohlmann added that the pool runs all day, not just the hours it is open to the general public from noon to 6 p.m. “We are in full operations from about 7 in the morning, sometimes 7:30, depending on how cold it is, to 9 o’clock at night to, sometimes, 11 o’clock at night,” he said.

The pool has received feedback that it should be open to the public longer hours, Pohlmann said. But he emphasized that it is being used nearly all the time.

“There are swim lessons, there is the swim team, there are our fitness classes,” he explained.

The swim team is important to those who are involved with it, Pohlmann added.

“The recreational swim team is just as important as baseball or softball or soccer or volleyball,” he said. “If you’ve ever gone to watch a swim meet, for those kids, that is a very important part of their life and their development as a person.”

The pool has private rentals, but only on weekends, Pohlmann noted.

The pool’s Tot Time and Senior Swim have been growing, parks Program Coordinator Angie Breeden said. “Last year, we had a lot of people,” she said.

Park board member Edwin Van Weelden encouraged the parks department to run more photos of activities at the pool on social media, saying he has had success doing that at the gym he owns.

“I think there are a lot of people who have no clue of what’s being offered,” he said.

According to figures presented to aldermen at the April 17 Parks, Buildings, Development and Public Service Committee, the pool had $125,496 in revenue last year. But with expenses of $220,332, the pool recorded a net loss of $94,836.

That means the pool recouped 57 percent of its expenses.

The pool reported 18,456 visits in 2022, the most since 2019, when it had 21,914 visits.

The pool is scheduled to open for the 2023 season Monday, May 29. Daily admission remains $6 for ages 3 and up and free for kids 2 and younger with a paid adult. Admission is half price after 4 p.m.

The pool had a busy offseason, with the city paying Franklin County Mobile Blasting, of Leslie, $24,375 to sandblast the pool, remove paint, caulk and other materials that have collected over the years. Pohlmann said the city had to wait until it was dry and warmer than 68 degrees to repaint the pool.

One of the pool’s pumps also failed. While the city has a second pump, it will have to pay around $2,000 to repair the pump so it can continue to have a backup, Pohlmann said.

Lifeguard training is going on the week leading up to the pool’s opening. The Splash-N-Swimplex opens the season with 35 regular lifeguards, along with two head guards, three assistant managers and a pool manager.

“We have enough staff for the operations that we need,” Pohlmann said Monday.