By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
The Hays Recreation Commission (HRC) and the city of Hays want to make improvements at the Hays Aquatic Park (HAP) and draw more patrons.
Just adding one new recommended water play feature may not be enough to increase attendance.
The pool is not intended to be a money maker. “It’s a quality of life issue,” according to City Commissioner Sandy Jacobs, “but that doesn’t mean we can’t work to reduce the amount of money we’re losing.”
City commissioners heard a proposal during their Thursday night work session from Director of Parks Jeff Boyle for a new water play feature to replace the aged “starburst” in the zero-depth entry area.
During the annual joint meeting of HRC and the city earlier this year, staff presented various options that could be added to HAP to enhance the facility. Commissioners liked the idea and directed staff to search for a multi-play aquatic feature not to exceed $185,000.
Boyle reported the $185,000 play feature from RJR Enterprises, which allows more patrons to participate at one time, was city staff’s unanimous recommendation. The monies would come from the Pool Reserve Fund which stands at $321,558.
Commissioner Sandy Jacobs and Mayor James Meier both liked the idea. “My kids and wife are excited about it,” said Meier. Vice-Mayor Henry Schwaller was not impressed.
“Given the small balance that remains in the fund that is used for maintenance, to maintain the boilers, which we know will have a short life, I hesitate to use the funds for this,” Schwaller said. “If we’re going to make any improvements to the pool, we should talk to the community. What do they want to see at the pool? Why aren’t they using it and how much will they pay?”
“I think any new improvements will bring in more people,” Jacobs said, “but for how long?”
Boyle added that dump buckets are now one of the most popular water features.
Schwaller suggested hiring the Docking Institute at Fort Hays State University to conduct a survey of Hays residents about the aquatic park.
“Let’s find out why people aren’t going to the pool, where they’re going instead, and if they are going to HAP, what new features do they want to see and how much are they willing to pay.”
Meier made a comparison to the improvements at the Fort Hays Municipal Golf Course, which now draws more golfers, although it is still a money-loser for the city.
“We had a plan and we fixed it,” Schwaller interjected. “It loses money but not as much as it did and we get rave reviews about the quality of the course. We spent the right amount of money to fix the irrigation system. Jeff’s worked on those greens like nobody’s business, and fixed all the drains. We did it right. We had a plan.
“We don’t have a plan for the aquatic park. We just said ‘go get us some stuff.’ Just because we gave the wrong instructions doesn’t mean we’ve committed to this.”
The potential purchase of the new aquatic feature will be discussed further next week at the June 28 city commission meeting.
Commissioner Shaun Musil was absent from Thursday’s work session.
There is a vacant seat on the commission which was recently vacated by Chris Dinkel. Commissioners intend to appoint his replacement during the June 28 meeting.