Staff writer
With the USD 408 Sports and Aquatics Center beginning it’s eight month, superintendent Lee Leiker gave a presentation Monday at the board of education meeting of the building’s financial status, indicating revenue was more than projected.
Leiker mentioned from the start no one involved with the project expected the pool to make a profit — pools almost never do.
“We are however ahead of what we projected at the start,” Leiker said. “We engineered and invested in utility-saving materials and equipment.”
Those included solar heating, insulation, and an ionization systems that allows less chemicals to be used in the pool.
Leiker said the pool had a total revenue at the end of December of $31,048 from membership, daily fees, and pool rental.
Expenses, which included aquatics directors salaries and lifeguard pay, insurance, heating, supplies, and repairs among others, totaled $68,656, leave a net expense of $37,608, which will be split 50/50 with the city.
Expenses of $18,804 for the first eight months would average to $28,206 per year for the city and school district.
Leiker said projected net expenses were around $40,000 for the city and school district.
“I’m feeling pretty good about this,” Leiker said.
Marion City Administrator Dave Mayfield said when the city owned an outdoor pool, which was in operation for just four months, it budgeted $42,000 for expenses.
The superintendent said the numbers will be revisited at the end of May when the pool will have been in operation for a full year.