Cordova pool hours hit the limit of the temp staff budget

Cordova's pool is running more hours than its temporary staff budget can cover, Samantha Hagerthy-Schneider, the city's parks and recreation director, told the Parks and Recreation Commission on Monday.

The director submitted first-round 2027 budgets that morning, after being told not to exceed last year's level. The requests still seek more temporary staff funding and restored travel money for certifications, cut last year.

"I am very aware of the budget constraints of the entire city itself right now," the director said.

The city pays about $35,000 a year for temporary staff at the Bidarki Recreation Center and $25,000 at the pool. That money also supports the swim teams and school program. The pool has hit its funded maximum hours, and Bidarki is close behind.

"If I get a lot of outpouring that we want more rec swim or we want something else, it means cutting something else on the other end of it," Hagerthy-Schneider said. The City Council's budget work sessions ran Oct. 15 to Nov. 19 last year; this year's dates were not yet posted.

The pool reopened after a 16-month closure, but operations remain day to day. Boilers at the pool and Bidarki are out. Staff reset the pool boiler daily while awaiting a part. The city is seeking quotes on a roughly $24,000 burner funded through a budget amendment.

Residents want to know why the September schedule carries 20 hours of lap swim and only 4 hours of open swim, one commissioner said. Open swim needs three staff members, not two. Under a national standard of one lifeguard per 25 swimmers, two lifeguards and a front desk worker can allow up to 50 people. A volunteer lifeguard can work alongside a city lifeguard if their certification is on file, they pass a background check and drug test, attend monthly in-service training, and aren't coaching or teaching.

After-school pool time and the supervised Fun Friday cost $5 per visit, and parents can buy a scannable 20-punch pass.

Coordinating with the school district lets staff skip scheduling on days the school won't use the pool, saving temporary funding. October's schedule for the pool and Bidarki will look much like September's.