New Recreational Activities Fees Set

Private parties renting the Ole Hanson Beach Club will now pay $1 per person, and residents attending recreational classes there will pay $2 a month for parking.

The City Council approved the fees Wednesday as part of a new schedule that is expected to raise between $33,600 and $58,500 for the operation and maintenance of the club.

The city’s Beaches, Parks and Recreation Department, along with every other city department, was required to trim 6% of its budget earlier this year to help balance the city’s books.

After considering several options, including closing the pool for nine months of the year, the department proposed fee increases. The hikes are the first in six years.

Although she later supported the fees, Councilwoman Candace Haggard said she was nervous about charging residents to park for classes.

“I’m really afraid people are going to look at the class schedule and say, ‘Well, I’m not going to take that class,’ ” she said.

At the same time, though, Haggard said the free ride for groups renting the beach club is over. “When a private party rents the facility, we currently subsidize the parking,” she said. “It’s a luxury we can no longer afford.”

In addition to the private party fee, the new schedule establishes a $3 recreation class registration fee, $130 swim passes for residents, $1.75 per hour day-camp fees, and a $17 overnight parking pass.

“We should treat the pool as a business so we can attract people to the pool and make money,” said Margo Beauchamp, a member of the Pool Partnership Committee, which was formed by the City Council to consider ways to cut the Beaches, Parks and Recreation Department budget.