Changes are coming to admission to open swim at the two Surprise pools, but they won’t be going into effect until next year.
The Surprise City Council voted to approve the new fee structure, the first increase in pool admission fees since 2006.
The daily entry fee next year for the Surprise Aquatic Center, 15831 N. Bullard Ave.; and Hollyhock Pool, 15808 N. Hollyhock St., will be $3 for adults and $2 for youth. Those are both up a buck from the current price.
A season pass will soon cost $30 for youth, $50 for adults and $100 for families. Those are currently $20, $40 and $80, respectively.
It’s possible the pool will not open this summer for open swimming because of COVID-19 and city budget concerns. Ms. Miller said the entrance fees only pay about 30% to 40% of operating costs.
Either way the new fees won’t go into effect until 2021.
The Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission first approved the fee increase proposal Jan. 27 before the City Council recommended lowering the prices for the season pass at its Feb. 18 meeting.
Parks and Recreation Department Director Donna Miller said attendance shouldn’t be negatively affected by the price hike.
“We don’t anticipate a decrease,” Ms. Miller told the City Council. “The pool is very popular and this is still reasonable — a lot less than what families would pay for bowling and movies and that sort of thing.”
Current prices are the lowest in the West Valley for youth and second-lowest to Goodyear for adults.
About 65,000 people come through the two pools each summer. Ms. Miller said the Surprise Aquatic Center reached capacity 28 days last summer, or roughly a third of the days it was open between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
The Hollyhock Pool, which is open less days, reached capacity nearly a dozen times last summer, Ms. Miller said.
Jason Stone Senior News Editor | Surprise @thestonecave
Meet Jason Jason Stone joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2019, after a distinguished three decade media career that included stops at the Arizona Republic, iHeart Media/Clear Channel and Beckett Sports Card magazine. He remembers when airports sold newspapers.
Community: He is a big supporter of the Valley's original sports team: The Phoenix Suns.
Education: Northern Arizona University with a BS in broadcast journalism and a minor in sports coaching.
Random Fact: The capital of Nebraska is Lincoln.
Hobbies: Surfing, backgammon and men who aren't afraid to cry.
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