City Approves Pool Management Agreement with Camp Fire

Preparations are underway for the first full summer at the new Doyle Street Pool.

Monday, Toccoa City Commissioners unanimously approved a pool management agreement allowing Camp Fire Georgia to again operate the pool for the city.

Camp Fire operated the pool for the city when it opened late last summer.

City commissioners met with Camp Fire CEO Elaine Brinkley to finalize the pool management agreement at a work session prior to Monday’s meeting.

Toccoa City Manager Billy Morse said the agreement was pretty straightforward.

“Camp Fire will keep all of the revenues that are generated there,” said Morse. “The city will pay for all utility and chemical fees. The city will also maintain all grounds and make all facility repairs. Camp Fire will be responsible for all of the day-to-day operations. Camp Fire will hire all personnel, which includes the lifeguards. Camp Fire will provide their own liability insurance and comply with all health regulations.”

One area Morse called the city commission’s attention to was a section calling for the city to pay Camp Fire a $30,000 management fee to operate the pool.

City Commissioner Gail Fry questioned that management fee, saying the city is taking on more financial responsibility than when the YMCA operated the old pool.

“We are also told that the chemicals should not cost as much as they did with the old (pool) because there are not the leaks and it is more efficient,” said Fry. “I was just thinking if we paid $25,000 (to the YMCA) and they bought the chemicals, now we are paying $30,000 (to Camp Fire) and we are buying the chemicals.”

Brinkley produced a draft budget for the pool that showed a projected loss of $27,700.

That budget is built off of a daily swim fee of $3 per swimmer, as well as selling 30 family season passes at $125 each, 20 individual season passes at $85 each, and having 20 swim campers at $50 each.

Brinkley admitted that the budget is a guessing game at this point because this is the first full summer that the new pool will be open.

“I really have no way of knowing how many season passes we will sell, individual passes,” said Brinkley.

She said, however, Camp Fire needs to break even in operating the city pool.

“I really cannot afford to lose money by doing this,” said Brinkley. “We do have a 90-year-old facility we are operating and we are expanding after-school programming and having to invest in a lot of other programs. I just want to make sure we are covered on this.”

Toccoa Mayor Terry Carter asked Brinkley if Camp Fire could live with a $25,000 payment instead of a $30,000 payment and Brinkley said that was acceptable.

The commission noted that they would sit down with Camp Fire and look at all of the financial numbers after the first whole summer to see how they came out.

City commissioners then approved the agreement unanimously at their meeting with the change to a $25,000 payment.

Commissioners thanked Camp Fire for doing an excellent job managing the pool last year and say they look forward to working with them again.

Currently, Brinkley says plans are to open the Doyle Street Pool around Memorial Day and keep it open through Labor Day.