A month from now, with school behind them and weeks of summer freedom before them, thousands of Cobb County children and their families will flock to public swimming pools in search of inexpensive fun.
But there will be less fun than in the past. Faced with a $31.5 million budget shortfall, Cobb County commissioners recently approved service cuts and other measures to balance the budget. As a result, county pools will be open an average of 10 hours less each week beginning this month.
“It’s all about the economy,” Cobb aquatics manager Bob McCallister said. “The county just isn’t getting the revenue to support these operations.”
Cobb isn’t alone. Local governments across the country are reducing hours, raising fees or — in some cases — closing pools as they grapple with the Great Recession’s effect on tax revenue.
In metro Atlanta, Clayton, Fulton and Gwinnett counties also have adjusted pool fees or hours. And while some governments like Cherokee County and the city of Cumming continue to build pools, others — such as Roswell — are saying “no thanks” for now, even when offered assistance from the private sector.
“Everybody facing budget pressures is looking at the total package of things they offer,” said Bill Beckner, research manager for the National Recreation and Park Association. “Many of them are looking at swimming pools and aquatic programs.”
Some say that’s what they should be doing. Lance Lamberton, president of the Cobb County Taxpayers Association, said the county should focus on providing core services like public safety and leave pools to the private sector.
“They’re not essential,” Lamberton said. “Roads are essential. Police protection is essential. Fire and emergency management are essential. Aquatic centers are not essential.”
Others say young people will suffer if public pools cut services. The new Cobb pools hours left Ian Goss, coach of a USA Swimming team, scrambling to find a practice facility for more than 70 kids. The pool they use will now be closed when they’re scheduled to practice.
“I don’t think the community realizes the effect on the children,” Goss said.
Aquatic centers may not be as essential as police and fire protection, but swimming remains one of the most popular recreational activities nationwide, according to Beckner.
Last year Cobb County’s four indoor aquatic centers and two outdoor pools drew 677,789 people. More than 522,000 used Gwinnett’s 17 pools at nine locations, and 45,000 flocked to Clayton’s three pools and one water park.
Pools are also among the most expensive recreational amenities. A park might require only basic maintenance, like mowing the grass. Pools and aquatic programs require lifeguards, swimming instructors, chemicals and — for indoor facilities — utilities.
Gwinnett spent about $3.3 million on aquatics programs last year. Cobb spends more than $2 million. Cumming officials recently set aside $1.2 million to operate a new pool this year, though Mayor Henry Ford Gravitt believes it won’t cost that much.
Governments offset those costs by charging for admission and classes. Such fees cover about 75 percent of expenses in Gwinnett. They cover half the costs in Cobb, which raised parks and recreation fees 10 percent to 15 percent last fall.
McCallister said Cobb officials traditionally believed pool fees should be low to keep services as affordable as possible for residents. “They’ve already paid taxes toward getting them built,” he said.
But McCallister said that philosophy is changing in light of the economy.
Some who use Cobb pools think it should raise rates. Edward Patterson of Kennesaw attends an aqua aerobics class at Mountain View Aquatic Center in Marietta. It costs him $2 per class.
“You’d pay that much for a root beer if you stopped by the side of the road,” Patterson said. “If this thing is not making money, raise the rates until it pays for itself.”
Last year the Engage Gwinnett panel said the county should close and sell pools or raise fees so they are completely self-supporting.
Community services director Phil Hoskins said Gwinnett’s outdoor pools break even or come close. Because of utility costs, indoor facilities don’t. Hoskins said the county tries to balance the need to generate revenue with the goal of keeping services affordable.
Some communities have turned to public-private partnerships to limit costs. Alpharetta and Canton contributed millions to help the YMCA build aquatic facilities in their communities.
The YMCA runs the facilities, and patrons must obtain a membership. But the agency provides special benefits to city residents. In Canton, for example, the YMCA waives the joining fee for city residents.
Dan Pile, senior vice president of operations for YMCA of Metro Atlanta, said public-private partnerships are a viable alternative to the traditional public pool.
“It’s a new way of thinking,” Pile said. “With tax revenues down, it’s harder and harder to subsidize public recreation.”
Still, even a partnership requires some investment. The YMCA has approached the city of Roswell about a new joint facility there. So far, it’s gone nowhere.
“I would say we don’t have the resources at this time,” said Roswell Mayor Jere Wood. “This isn’t a good time to be looking at a large project with substantial operating costs.”
A lack of resources led Cobb officials to trim pool hours this year. Outdoor pools will no longer be open on weekends this summer. Indoor pools also will see reduced hours.
Lamberton, the Cobb County Taxpayers Association president, said the county can no longer afford to subsidize pools.
“There’s so much that the private sector and the nonprofit sector can do in recreation and parks,” he said. “People are paying for what they’re receiving. There’s a direct relationship. When you start creating an infrastructure of a bunch of [public] aquatic centers, you’re basically robbing Peter to pay for Paul.”
Though Goss’ 500-member swim team uses some private facilities, it relies heavily on Cobb County pools. Goss said the team pays the county nearly $50,000 a year for the use of those pools. He expects a significant increase next year.
But with the reduced hours at Cobb pools, Goss had to rent a private facility where some of his kids will have to practice for several weeks.
“It’s going to cost us more,” Goss said. “People are not very happy about it. We’ll have to figure it out.”
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