For the first time in almost 10 years, the City of Chardon is raising the rates for the outdoor public swimming pool.
For the first time in almost 10 years, the City of Chardon is raising the rates for the outdoor public swimming pool.
The revision will take effect for the 2026 season, City Manager Ben Young told Chardon City Council at its Nov. 13 meeting, adding that because the increase falls under a certain threshold, council did not need to vote on it.
“The hope is to help the pool be more financially stable and be with us for a longer period of time,” he said.
Currently, the pool costs around $200,000 per year to maintain, not including capital expenses, Young said.
The goal is to increase the pool’s self-funding percentage from 20% to 50%, Young said.
Currently, revenue from the pool covers about 20% of operating costs, he added.
“The rate structure has been reconfigured to try to encourage memberships over daily admissions,” Young said. “Right now, we’re very heavily dependent on daily admission. We’re trying to encourage more people to have full-season memberships.”
Under the new rates, daily admission increases to $10 per person and the couples membership is eliminated due to low sales, he said.
In an email Nov. 24, Young confirmed a season single pass would be $75 pre-season and $79 post-season to residents, while non-residents would pay $150 pre-season and $158 post-season. Family pass rates will increase to $150 or $158 for residents and $250 or $263 for non-residents pre- and post-season.
Morning lap swim and evening water aerobics will also be free to members under the new plan, he said.
The new rates are comparable to the Geauga Family YMCA in Munson Township and the City of Mentor, Young said.
Council member David Lelko objected to the increase.
“My position is these rate increases are too high, especially for non-residents,” he said. “We need the non-residents to participate in our activities and I think this has a very strong chance of backfiring on us. I don’t support the increases.”
Council member Deb Chuha said a gradual increase might be more palatable to patrons.
While slow, incremental hikes would be preferable, the decade-long gap since the last adjustment necessitates a larger jump, Young replied.
The cost of pool maintenance has also increased over time while rates have stayed the same, added council member Kyle Martin.
Vice Mayor Health Means noted the conversation was also about the long-term viability of the facility.
“If the pool is just a large financial drain and not utilized by a large number of residents overall, how do we reduce that drain?” she said, adding they will have to see whether higher costs reduce attendance.
“It’s a very expensive thing to have that a very small (number) of people in the community actually use and it’s only open for a short period of time anyway,” Means said. “It’s an amenity we offer, but it doesn’t come close to paying for itself.”
Young concurred, adding, “We didn’t go for trying to make it fully self-sufficient. Those would be astronomical rates.”
