A Pool in Issauqah Highlands???

Written by: rebecca and filed Under Blog, Issaquah Highlands, Other Development |

As the lazy and warm days of summer approach us, I have to ask myself, where?s the pool?

I love Issaquah Highlands and am proud to make it my home. I am however, disappointed about the fact that there is no community swimming pool and I have always wondered why there isn?t one. Klahanie has two. Some say it?s impractical. Some say it?s uneconomical. Some say it?s a waste of space. The biggest concern I have heard from the folks in charge is the cost.

So what does it cost to have a pool in the community? There are two factors; initial development and annual operating cost.

I am going to pass on the initial development part for a minute and move straight to operating budget. Below is an example of what the annual operating budget of a similar type of amenity costs to maintain:
Expense Annual Cost

Expenses	Annual Cost

Operating Expenses	Annual Cost
Utilities	$121,000
Licenses and Insurance	$24,000
Maintenance and Repairs	$12,000
Chemicals	$8,500
Janitorial Services	$3,500
Misc	$41,000
Operating Expense Total	$210,000

Staff	Annual Cost
Pool Manager (3)	$105,000
Lifeguards/Swim Instructors (4)	$75,500
Pool Attendant (1)	$9,500
Staff Total	$190,000

Grand Total	$400,000

Couple of thoughts here about this budget. Three managers?!? Are you kidding me? How about just having one. That could save a ton right there. The lifeguards and pool attendant are all really interchangeable. At any given time there only needs to be two people working the facility. If the facility would offer swim lessons that would require more but we will get there in a second. As far as operating expenses go, the maintenance and repairs are higher than normal because this facility has older equipment that needs more frequent servicing. That old equipment also causes the utilities to be a bit higher than needed.

So based on some simple math, if there are 4000 houses in the Issaquah Highlands, that would equate to roughly $100 per year to staff and maintain and give free access. Most likely even less if we eliminated some of the overhead. That is still a bit high but this isn?t even accounting for any revenue opportunities from swim lessons, special events, renting out the facility to clubs or advertising.

The pool in comparison makes an additional $50,000 per year in revenue by having a vending machine, creating advertising opportunities and renting out the pool to clubs like WaterBabies.

Just with that small amount of revenue alone, we could reduce the cost down to $87.00 per year per household. Now factor in swim lessons (which all of the staff above can give) and other potential revenue opportunities I haven?t thought about and you could practically pay for the cost of the pool with almost no subsidy from the homeowners.

I would be surprised if our community was not able to support a pool. I would be even more surprised if there wasn?t an interest in having a pool here in the community. With so many children, I am sure there are a number of families that would love the easy access to swim lessons and splashing around.

In the meantime, Julies Bohem Pool is a good alternative, even if it is indoors.

I personally have taken the water aerobics class there and had tons of fun.

Happy swimming.

Comments

4 Responses to “A Pool in Issauqah Highlands???”

Neighborhood Round-up: Introducting Deborah! | Rain City Guide | A Seattle Real Estate Blog... on June 20th, 2007 9:02 pm

[…] host a pizza & boxed wine party to welcome Art Cars to Seattle and The Fremont Solstice Fair. Red Brick Blog poses the eternal summer question…where’s the […]
Robbie on June 29th, 2007 6:19 am

Brilliant idea! My wife is a former swimmer and would probably be willing to kill somebody to get a pool built in the IH.
rebecca on July 17th, 2007 4:04 pm

Robbie, I was a former swimmer too and I am just dying without one - especially last week when we hit triple digits and this past weekend when it was nice but a little muggy. While there is nothing currently in the works, a girl can dream. Who knows, maybe we can have enough influence to make a pool happen.
admin on August 5th, 2007 11:40 am

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