The East Lansing Family Aquatic Center may have been one of summer’s biggest successes, or one of the season’s more mediocre events.
The pool, located at 6400 Abbott Road, sold more season passes than city officials had projected and produced $456,342 in revenue since it opened in May.
But the total project ran a tab of $412,277, parks and recreation facilities director Tim McCaffrey said.
To improve the operations of the center, the end-of-year report recommends the addition of a storage facility for concessions, installation of a drop slide and repairing an area that has caused some minor slip-and-fall accidents.
The projected cost of all of the changes is estimated at $70,000.
While there have been no serious injuries reported, the parks and recreation department has determined that fault lies with either the architect or the construction company, city officials report.
The city estimated that during the week 9,244 resident swimmers and 22,911 non-residents used the pool. In total, the park had 81,773 people enter this summer.
City officials hope to incorporate the season passes with the pool at the Hanna Community Center, 819 Abbott Road.
“You can see some trends develop,” McCaffrey said. “The group rates were a good opportunity.”
While the city saw popularity with different packages for admission, the addition of a drop slide may have to wait.
City officials couldn’t agree whether to defer $40,000 for landscaping to pay for the improvements.
“This drop slide was designed to bring in teenagers,” Mayor Mark Meadows said.
Now, the center doesn’t provide much for older visitors to use other than the diving board, Meadows said.
“It’s obvious that the kids want a little more juice than just going down the slide,” he said.
Councilmember Bill Sharp said he is against funding the slide because of its costs in maintenance and repair.
“I will never vote for a drop slide until I see what the maintenance cost is,” Sharp said. “Until we get ready to fill the pool, I won’t vote on one penny.”
