Pleasantville Eyes Higher Pool Membership Fees for Next Summer
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Pleasantville officials are leaning toward raising pool fees by about 35 percent for village residents for the upcoming summer to help defray some of the costs to build the new facility.
The issue of the likely increase in pool membership fees was debated in detail at last Monday’s Village Board work session, where Pleasantville Recreation Director Mike Newman presented various options. Among the considerations was charging more to non-village residents who don’t pay village taxes but who live in the Pleasantville School District.
Of the five different options Newman presented to the board, officials appeared to favor an option that would increase the village resident rate by about 35 percent and the non-village resident rate by 20 percent.
In the four years that the Village Board held meetings and public hearings to refurbish the 50-year-old pool, construction costs escalated. The original $3.5 million to $4 million estimate has risen to $6,033,839, which will be funded by a 20-year bond, adding an estimated $170 annual tax for Pleasantville homeowners for the duration of the bond. Construction for the new pool has been underway since the end of the summer. It is expected to open in June.
Under the favored option, an early bird family membership would cost $600 (early bird dates are typically from mid-April to mid-May), up from last year’s cost by $120. After the early bird offer, a family membership for village residents would cost $650, $170 over last year’s cost. A non-village resident family membership would cost $875, $145 more than last year. There was no mention of an early bird price for non-village family memberships.
Village residents purchasing an individual membership would pay an early bird fee of $300, and after that $325, increases of $60 and $85, respectively. An early bird cost for senior residents would be $100, up $5 from last year. After that, the senior rate would be $125, an increase of $30 over last year.
Estimated revenue for all membership fees in 2025 is projected to be $330,270.
A new caregiver membership was also proposed, costing $125 for the caregiver of a village resident and $175 for a non-village resident. Guest fees would be $10 a day; a guest 10-pack would cost $90. A camp fee of $20 would be charged for each camper.
Of last year’s 758 pool memberships, about 200 were non-village residents, Newman said.
“Those non-village-resident members may not come back or they will agree to pay more,” he said. “My hope is that we are presenting this nice new pool and they will still come even though they are going to pay a higher rate.”
Newman added that membership has been strong the last couple of years, and hopefully that will continue.
Pleasantville Pool Task Force Co-chair Troy Tassier, who attended the work session with Co-chair Jim Kennedy, said he had concerns about the higher rates.
“I am worried about sticker shock for those living outside the village,” Tassier said.
Newman said similar non-resident pool membership rates were applied at the Town of Mount Pleasant and Briarcliff pools.
“Charging non-village rates is common,” he said. “The Briarcliff and Mount Pleasant pools charge a higher rate for non-residents. We’re not going to be doing anything drastic. We’re in the ball park with all of our fees (compared) to our neighbor communities.”
Newman said a Mount Pleasant family membership pool rate for a Pleasantville resident is $1,103.
The challenge in deciding how much to increase pool fees was finding a balance between keeping the charge affordable and ensuring the pool will be operational.
Non-residents who have children in the Pleasantville School District presented another consideration.
“The core of this group we’re trying to hold on to and indeed expand are school district residents largely driven by kids wanting to play together,” said Mayor Peter Scherer.
By the end of the hour-long discussion board members seemed to favor the option that would raise the village resident rate by 35 percent and the non-village resident rate by 20 percent. No formal decision was made.
“The increased pool rates will not be on the next agenda,” said Village Administrator Eric Morrissey. “But we’d like to get it locked in sooner rather than later. At some point we will have a resolution that will spell out the new rates.”
Abby is a local journalist who has reported on breaking news for more than 20 years. She currently covers community issues in The Examiner as a full-time reporter and has written for the paper since its inception in 2007. Read more from Abby’s editor-author bio here. Read Abbys’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/ab-lub2019/
