Colo. Springs Considers YMCA Subsidy To Open Pools
Mayor Steve Bach’s office is considering a subsidy for the YMCA that would allow six city pools to open this year, but one local business said the partnership is not giving its group a fair chance.
Swim Colorado has been operating three city pools since 2010. Owner Tina Dessart said she and her husband stepped in at a time when the city needed help.
She said she was trying to give back to the city and was disappointed when its contract was terminated last December.
Swim Colorado asked the city to cover $144,000 in utilities costs to keep the Aquatics and Fitness Center at Memorial Park open, but Dessart noted the two outdoor pools were profitable.
She said she tried to negotiate, but did not get a clear answer from the mayor’s office on why its agreement was terminated.
According to Dessart, Swim Colorado is currently at a standstill. She said she will continue to run the swim school, but that her business was set up to manage swimming pools.
The mayor’s office has announced that the YMCA subsidy would cost a net expense estimated at $425,000 for this year.
There has already been about $208,000 allotted for the subsidy.
Laura Neumann is the mayor’s chief of staff. She said the main difference with this new partnership is that the YMCA is a nonprofit organization while Swim Colorado was seeking to make revenue.
She also said that under this new partnership, the YMCA would open six pools instead of the three that Swim Colorado kept open.
Under the new agreement, the swimming pools that would open are Cottonwood Creek Recreation Center, Portal Pool, Wilson Ranch Pool, Monument Valley Pool, and Prospect Lake Beach and the Aquatic and Fitness Center at Memorial Park.
The mayor’s office plans to present its plan to City Council next week. Council plans to vote on the proposal on March 27.
If a contract is signed between the City of Colorado Springs and YMCA in early April, then the swimming pools could open as early as Memorial Day weekend.
