The Recreation Department staff has published a newly revised proposed pool fee schedule for consideration by the Recreation Commission on May 18.  Daily rates would be limited to non-holiday Monday – Thursday from 8am -3pm.  The proposal has simplified the overall rate structure.  It includes:

• Same resident and non-resident daily rates for children and youth (age 12 to 17).
• Seasonal pass at less than one-half the cost of an annual pass for individual adults and seniors (over 65).
• Slight discount (11%-25%) for seasonal, annual passes, and adult daily rates for residents compared to non-residents.
• Guest privileges and weekend/holiday swimming for seasonal and annual passes.

Under the prior fee schedule (see p. 5.), staff estimated operating pool costs would be paid $380,000 by taxpayers and $375,000 by users, resulting in a 50% taxpayer subsidy of pool cost.  (See Aquatics budget.)   A revised budget estimate for the new proposed fee structure has not been provided.  The specific assumptions regarding pass sales and numbers of users underlying the 2 fee schedules have not yet been made public by staff or reviewed by the Recreation Commission.

A PCA Editorial: The City has taken over operation of the Piedmont Pool at taxpayer expense.

A Piedmont asset that was built and operated for half a century at no cost to taxpayers has begun to drain funds from the City budget at a rapid rate. City operation of  the pool will exceed the costs borne historically  by a group of volunteers. Numerous assumptions have been made regarding pool usage without adequate operating data.  The only certainty is that swimmers will now be subsidized by Piedmont taxpayers, rather than swim club members. > Click to read more…

Recently released pool use proposals and budget numbers hold a number of surprises for Piedmont taxpayers and swimmers:  Piedmont taxpayers will begin providing a 50% subsidy of pool operating costs starting July 1st.

• Piedmont taxpayers will pay pool costs of $380,000 while the City hopes swimmers will generate $377,000 in fees, to cover a total estimated pool budget of $757,000.
  
• An additional $108,000 in transition costs will be paid in FY 2010-11
• An additional $600,000 in proposed capital improvement funds  (CIP staff report)
• The currently proposed fee structure offers daily swimming privileges to residents and non-residents at the same low rate.
  

The annual estimated $380,000 taxpayer subsidy exceeds the City’s prior estimate of this amount:  $127,000 to $327,000 per its Aquatic Study in 2006. The City’s operating costs of $757,000 are higher than the most recent financial information from the Piedmont Swim Club:  $650,000 per year.  The CIP staff report includes an additional $600,000 in capital improvements for the pool. > Click to read more…

A letter addressing whether rent and other provisions are similar in the two leases

Editors,

At the May 2 City Council meeting, the City Administrator said at least twice that the handling of the 801 Magnolia property was consistent with the handling of the pool decades ago.  As I understand it, his point is that, like the Magnolia lease, the original 1964 pool lease did not involve cash rent, because at the conclusion of the original lease the improvements (the pools and changing rooms) became the city’s property and thus served as “in-kind” rent.

However – the lessees of the 801 Magnolia property are not building an expensive new facility on vacant City-owned land at their own expense, as the Swim Club did – > Click to read more…

On April 18 the Piedmont City Council unanimously approved the first reading of a seven year lease permitting the newly formed Piedmont Center for the Arts free use of the City-owned former Christian Science Church located across from Piedmont High School at 801 Magnolia Avenue .

The rush for approval of the lease is being generated by the proponents of the project who have secured commitments from various contractors to provide services at reduced prices and started plans for activities.   The group is eager to move into the facility and wishes to take possession of the property by June 3 .  > Click to read more…

The City has announced it will hold a series of public hearings on the pool facility.  On April 20 there will be an open forum and community dialogue discussing a joint report from the Recreation staff and the consultants on pool operations.  On May 4 there will be an open forum to discuss a joint report from the Recreation staff and consultants on a proposed fee structure and use schedule.  A third meeting, if deemed necessary, may be held on May 18.  All meetings will be held in the City Hall at 7:30 p.m.

The City staff plans to begin operating the pool facility as the Piedmont Community Pool on July 1, 2011, with no interruption in service.  The budget for operating the Community Pool after July 1 will be considered with the rest of the City budget during April, May and June.  Simultaneously, the Recreation Commission will conduct hearings on treatment of stakeholders (current members and vendors) as well as use and fee issues for the new Community Pool, making recommendations to the City Council.  The fee structure for day use, individual passes, family passes, lessons and allocation of pool time for various groups will then be debated and determined by a vote of the City Council.

The Piedmont City Council appropriated $108,000 from the General Fund to provide funds to create an Aquatics Division within the Recreation Department.  This amount will fund the Division for 3 months, through June 30,2011.  Anticipated expenses are: > Click to read more…

The City of Piedmont has responded on  to a request under the Freedom of Information Act by providing a copy of its contract with pool consultant Jeff Eorio. > Click to read more…

Correspondence from Timothy Rood, Piedmont Swim Club President, to the Piedmont Post

Re:  No record of pool decision or consultant hire

Dear Sir,

Your March 23 article, “Recreation Commission tests water on pool transition,” includes two incorrect statements. First, there is no record of a decision by the City Council on February 7, or any other date, to not renew the city’s lease with the Piedmont Swim Club. According to Article 2.07(c) of the City Charter, Council decisions require a majority vote, and no vote on the pool transition was publicly noticed or taken. Second, your article goes on to state that “Municipal Aquatics Consultant” Jeff Eorio “was hired by the city to facilitate the transition.” In fact, there is no public record of any aquatics consultant contract, and the Council did not allocate any funding for aquatics in the current fiscal year budget. According to Piedmont’s fundamental law, the Charter, “the City” can only make decisions or hire consultants by majority vote of the City Council. Our Council, City Administrator and City Attorney are surely aware of these Charter provisions, but routinely choose to ignore them.

Sincerely,

Timothy Rood
Piedmont resident

(This letter expresses the personal opinions of the author. All statements made are the opinion of the writer and not necessarily those of the Piedmont Civic Association.)

An official request for public records has been made to the City of Piedmont for information on the contract between the City’s consultant on the pool facilities, Jeff Eorio.  This request has been initiated by the Piedmont Swim Club President, Tim Rood.

This request comes on the heels of a previous objection by Tim Rood to the lack of a Council resolution and vote reflecting its direction to staff  to cease further lease negotiations with the Piedmont Swim Club and begin preparations to takeover the pool facilities.  The Council’s direction was provided to staff at the February 7, 2011 Council meeting.

Editors note: Under the Piedmont City Charter an affirmative vote by 3 members of the City Council is required for the Council to act.  

> Click to read more…