Big Fundraising Effort Chosen as Way to Save Pool

A crowd of volunteers decided Thursday night that the best approach to saving the Pinole Swim Center is to hold fundraisers and to seek corporate financial assistance. They rejected a plan to form a new non-profit organization that would take over all costs and responsibilities for the pool.

Pinole Recreation Director Amy Wooldridge presented the two options at an informal meeting of about 30 people at city hall. The first alternative would create a new non-profit organization to fully fund and operate the pool. That would require legal incorporation of the group, and added costs of filing necessary papers and buying insurance.

A second choice would be to embark on an ambitious fundraising effort and/or to assign an existing organization, such as the Pinole Seals Swim Club or the Pinole Youth Foundation, to bring the swim center into is scope of raising funds. That would require consent of the city council and the Hilltop Family YMCA, which contracts with the city to staff the swim center with lifeguards and a few other part-time positions.

"The question I see on the table is not only how to start to implement actual fundraisers but who the mechanism is," Wooldridge said. "Is it the youth foundation, is it the Seals is it a separate non-profit, is it none of the above or do we just fundraise for the city?"

The assembled group of mostly parents with kids who use the pool, overwhelmingly voted against the first option.

Wooldridge began the meeting with a look at the financial condition of the center. The annual cost to operate eh pool are $47,279 to cover the cost of the YMCA and $58,204 for the city to pay operating costs, such as heating, landscaping and maintenance. For next year there is a one-time cost of about $10,000 to buy a new pool cover.

If the pool were to close, the city still would have to pay for maintenance costs such as water, lighting, heating and landscaping year-round, Wooldridge said.

The 90-minute meeting generated fundraising suggestions, such as holding an annual barbecue, a swim-a-thon and more aggressive promotion of a existing fundraising events.

Other suggestions included selling bricks inscribed with donors' names to build a wall, charging for admission and parking for access to compeitive swim meets and selling naming rights to some Pinole streets.

The Pinole Seals at its annual Flippers to Feet Fun Run in APRIL and has scheduled  its 36th annual silent auction for Oct. 8. In addition, the Seals give the city an annual payment of $7,500 toward operating costs.

Wooldridge will give an oral report on the pool to the city council at its Aug. 16 meeting. She said Thursday that a plan must be in place within the next six or seven months to save next year's season.

"Really by next January, February at the absolute latest, the decision has to be made whether to keep the pool open or closed for next swim season," Wooldridge said.

Council members would require a solid plan in place to grant their approval, Wooldridge said.

Meanwhile, Councilwoman Debbie Long said a subcommittee could be formed with the objective of  meeting with the city's two new representatives on the county boar of supervisors, John Gioia and Federal Glover. The supervisors could have influence with large companies, from which relatively small donations like $5,000 might be leveraged.

Earlier this year, city council voted to designate the recreation department as an enterprise fund, challenging it to reach 100 percent cost recovery for its programs and services. A slew of user fee increase have been adopted as part of the 20111-12 city budget.

Wooldridge told the group that she has limited time to organize fundraising efforts because she already is coordinating a similar $40,000 effort for other youth and senior programs. It will take a dedicated and coordinated effort by interested parties to keep the pool open, she said.