Watertown pool attendance dipped this summer; city looks ahead to new Flynn pool

Dec. 5—WATERTOWN — With temperatures cooling off last August, attendance at the city's two pools took a big dip this past summer.

Attendance for both the Thompson Park pool and the Alteri pool at the Alex T. Duffy Fairgrounds totaled 17,331 people, down from 26,690 the year before, according to a memo from Parks and Recreation Superintendent Scott M. Weller.

"August was an unseasonably cool month that saw attendance decrease 62% from July, and 57% from August of 2022," Weller wrote in the memo.

On Monday night, council members discussed the pool attendance figures at length.

The Thompson Park Pool was open for 71 days with 13,957 people swimming there from May 27 to Aug. 24, while the Alteri pool was open for 68 days with 3,374 swimming from June 26 to Sept. 4. The pools had to close for 25 days due to rain.

Attendance at both pools declined, with 21,252, or about 7,000 fewer people, swimming at the park pool, and the Alteri pool was down 2,200 people, according to the memo.

Councilman Cliff G. Olney III blamed the unusually rainy and cool August for the poor pool attendance numbers, calling it one of the coldest summers of all time in the north country.

"We were doing pretty good to that point," Weller said.

Olney believes that attendance will turn around with better weather in the future.

Both he and Councilwoman Lisa A. Ruggiero also recommended that the city do a better job at marketing the pools to attract more swimmers.

It was the first year that the city charged people living outside of the city. Charging non-city residents $3 individually and $2 per person for groups probably had some impact on attendance but not much, Weller said.

Mayor Jeffrey M. Smith reiterated his ongoing argument that the city does not need and cannot afford three pools.

The city will add a third pool with the opening of a new one at North Elementary School next season.

It costs the city about $130,000 per pool to run the city's summer program, which lasts about 10 weeks a year, he said.

The city has a declining population with fewer children being born, more people having private pools in their backyards, and people being more mobile now than when city pools were in their heyday, he said. The north country's climate also will continue to play a role in the pool program, Smith said.

"Those are just facts," he said.

But Ruggiero remains optimistic about pool usage even with the city adding a third one on the city's north side, saying it was a "pretty darn good" summer.

Construction continues on the new pool this winter.

In a pair of 3-2 votes on Monday night, the council approved two change orders that will increase the cost of the pool project by $137,000.

The council authorized a $36,873 change order in plumbing costs for Hyde-Stone Mechanical Contractors to replace an original 6-inch city water main to the pool and bathhouse because it had deteriorated.

The second resolution transferred $100,000 from a contingency account to pay for such items as rock removal and asbestos abatement.

Smith and Councilwoman Sarah V. Compo Pierce, the mayor-elect, voted against the change orders.

On Tuesday, City Manager Kenneth A. Mix said he doesn't expect any more change orders so the project's cost should remain just under $4 million.

On Monday night, council members also debated the success of the first season of Thompson Park Golf Course. The city purchased the former Watertown Golf Club for $3.4 million last winter. It was the first season that the city ran the golf course.

As he has done in the past, Smith gave his reasons why he doesn't think the golf course will ever make money. With the golf course losing $296,000 this past summer, the city will need to make major equipment purchases in the coming years, and the north country's weather will continue to be a factor, he said.

In defending the facility's financial picture, Ruggiero said the mayor keeps painting a dark picture on the golf course.

"You keep beating a dead horse," she said, adding that there are positive things to look at with the golf course.

So far, the number of tournaments scheduled for next summer has increased from nine to 14, more than 4,000 more rounds of golf were played there last summer than the previous year, and the goal of getting 150,000 members was exceeded by 21,000 last summer.

She commended general manager Jordan Northrop and his staff for putting together a first season they should be proud of.