Goldsboro Family Y drops city pools
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on April 15, 2017 11:35 PM
Full Size
News-Argus file photo
Children splash and play in the water at Peacock Pool on Herring Street in this photo from 2016. The city will have to find a new entity to manage its two municipal pools now that the Goldsboro YMCA is cutting back to focus on its own pool.
The yearly struggle to hire enough lifeguards and other financial challenges led to a Goldsboro Family YMCA decision to no longer manage and operate the city's two public swimming pools.
The YMCA, which has operated the pools for nearly 16 years, decided in November not to continue its annual $15,000 contract with the city, said John Richards, chief executive officer of the local YMCA.
Goldsboro officials are currently considering hiring an outside pool management company at an estimated $80,000 cost, more than five times the amount of the city's arrangement with the YMCA.
A decision is pending, with six more weeks left before the swimming season opens on Memorial Day.
The YMCA managed the city's Peacock and Mina Weil pools as a community service for years, but the declining interest in lifeguard jobs, a lack of applicants and other YMCA priorities led to the decision.
"It was a great relationship we enjoyed," Richards said. "The reason we stopped it was a lifeguard shortage. It's something that's been a strain on us the last couple years.
"We just felt we need to focus on what we're doing internally and make sure we've got adequate supply here and make sure we're not stretching ourselves too thin."
The city's annual funding provided enough money for the YMCA to break even in providing lifeguards, swim instructors and gate attendants. Richards said.
The YMCA has close to 25 lifeguards, but needs to hire nearly 50 more to manage its pools and the city's two locations.
Not only is there a lack of interest in lifeguard jobs, but the YMCA also struggles in August when many college-age lifeguards need to return to school.
The city pools -- Peacock Pool, at 1503 Herring St., and Mina Weil Pool, at 235 House St. -- open on Memorial Day and close on Labor Day.
"Every year for the past 10 years, that first week of August through Labor Day, when the college kids go back to school, it's been a problem," Richards said. "We've managed to make it work but it's to the point now where I don't want our staff to be stretched out."
The YMCA decision years ago to manage the city's public pools was driven by an interest in providing a community service, Richards said.
"This isn't a decision we made quickly," Richards said.
Goldsboro Parks and Recreation staff have been exploring other alternatives, since the department does not have staff trained in operating the public pools, said Scott Barnard, Goldsboro Parks and Recreation director.
The Goldsboro City Council has been presented with a proposal to hire Aqua Tech, a statewide pool management group, at a near $80,000 annual cost -- more than five times the cost of the previous YMCA contract.
City officials asked Barnard to first attempt to renegotiate with the YMCA. Richards said the YMCA decision is final.
"We were firm when we met with the park and rec folks that we need to move out of this," Richards said.
Barnard has asked Aqua Tech for contract alternatives that include the operation of one city pool, instead of two, and reducing the number of days the pools are open.
A decision is expected with enough time for the pools to open in six weeks.
"I would expect that we'll open pools, and I'm optimistic that we'll be able to get some prices down," Barnard said.