LUTHERAN QUILTERS – Members of the Quilts for Comfort Group stand between pews draped with some of the 205 quilts they made, in the Sitka Lutheran Church Tuesday. The group made the quilts for five local non-profits and one in Anchorage. The remaining quilts are sent to Lutheran World Relief which  distributes them to places around the world in need, such as Ukraine, as part of Personal Care Kits. Pictured are, from left, Helen Cunningham, Kathleen Brandt,Vicki Swanson, Paulla Hardy, Kim Hunter, Linda Swanson and Sue Fleming.  (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)

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Daily Sitka Sentinel

School Board Raises Blatchley Pool Fees

By TOM HESSE

Sentinel Staff Writer

Swimming pool fees are going up between 30 and 100 percent. 

At their Wednesday night meeting, their last of the 2014/15 school year,  Sitka School Board members approved a range of increases aimed at making the Blatchley swimming pool self-sustaining.

The board’s recent budget process highlighted the high cost of maintaining the Community Schools program and the Blatchley pool. Superintendent Mary Wegner said the district had to contribute an extra $11,000 for pool operation last year, and the higher user fees should help cover that expense this year.

“It is pretty much anticipated to cover what we expect plus put a little in the pool reserves for when the chlorinator goes out and we have to replace that,” Wegner said. 

The largest increases by dollar amount are in fees charged for groups who want to rent the pool for private events. The charge for a one-hour pool rental with no lifeguards was increased from $45 to $75. A lifeguard will cost an additional $25. 

In terms of single use fees, students and seniors will go from paying $2 to $4. Adults will now pay $6 instead of $4, and family prices have gone from $8 to $15. Additionally, the size limit for the family price was reduced from a maximum of 6 to 5.

To increase efficiency and raise revenue, the old punch card system will be replaced with passes good for one month, three months, six months or a year.

The price of a 10-swim punch card for adults was $35.

“The punch card is a very cumbersome system,” Wegner said. 

A one-month adult pass costs $100; a three-month pass costs $250; a 6-month pass goes for $475; and a full year costs $900. The reduced rates for seniors and students are: 

– $75 for one month

– $175 for three months

– $325 for six months 

– $600 for one year 

One of the pool’s largest user groups, the Baranof Barracudas swim club, will see a 36-percent increase in costs. 

“It moves them from $22 an hour to $30 an hour, but they also have a vested interest in making sure the pool is sustainable,” Wegner said. She said she met at length with parents and coaches from the Barracudas to discuss a workable rate increase. 

“It was a negotiation and it was a good negotiation,” she said. 

Barracudas swim club organizer Kevin Knox said the prospect of increases gave them “a little bit of heartburn” but he was glad the district reached out to the club to continue a long-standing partnership between the district and the swim club. 

“I think it’s noteworthy that this is the oldest operating pool in Alaska ... The pool opened in ’73 or somewhere around that and the Barracudas started three years after that.” 

Wegner said the district also worked with the U.S. Coast Guard and the Alaska Public Safety Academy on how to balance pool usage. 

“It was very much a give and take on both sides,” she said, adding “We do feel that this will make the pool sustainable.” 

The board unanimously approved the rate increases with an amendment that the prices will be reviewed every two years. Board President Lon Garrison said it was important not to get behind on covering the costs of district services again. 

“Frankly, we’ve been getting a free ride on this and we as a board have not been doing our due diligence to see what it would take to operate this,” Garrison said. 

The new prices go into effect July 1. The complete list of user fees:

Pool Rental

– $75 for a one-hour rental with no life guard

– $100 for a one-hour rental with one life guard

Non-Profit Pool Rentals

– $35 for a one-hour rental with no lifeguard

– $60 for a one-hour rental with one life guard

– A $5 per hour discount available for groups that use the pool 20 hours a week or more

Single Use Fees

– $4 for students/seniors

– $6 for adults

– $15 for a family of up to five

Adult Passes

– $100 for one month

– $250 for three months

– $475 for six months

– $900 for one year

Student/Senior Passes

– $75 for one month

– $175 for three months

– $325 for six months 

– $600 for one year 

Family Passes

– $200 for one month

– $500 for three months

– $700 for six months 

– $1,400 for one year 

Budget Update

The School Board was told that the district’s financial reserves are looking better than expected after end-of-the-year expenses came in below budget.

The school district added an extra $227,859 to its coffers, thanks in large part to no increases in the cost of the employee insurance plan. Business Manager Cassee Olin said the budget makes an annual assumption as to how much insurance rates may go up and this year rather than the six percent hike expected, costs stayed flat. That saved the district $204,000. 

“It’s actually pretty good news,” Olin said, adding that benefit costs are often challenging to predict and costs aren’t known until the fiscal year is ready to close. 

“And if it was above 6 percent we’d be talking that we’d need more money,” she said. 

That savings go into the district budget reserve, which has ballooned by 85 percent since the district wrapped up its budget process in late April. A large portion of that came from the Legislature’s decision to remove a cut that would have cost the district around $500,000 through the Base Student Allocation. That funding was restored earlier this month and the savings from insurance rates as well as other district cost-cutting measures added an additional $227,000. That pushes the district’s fund balance to $1,795,517. 

The reserves were a point of concern during a budget cycle that saw the loss of three full-time teaching positions.

The board approved the final budget revision on a unanimous vote. 

Other Business

The board gave approval to two board policies on child neglect and class examinations while tabling a third policy on student achievement until more information about graduation rates is available. The board also approved the early draft of the teacher evaluation plan. 

Districts across Alaska are adopting new teaching evaluation systems as a part of state mandates.

Finally, board member Tom Conley announced his intention to resign from the board, citing health reasons. Conley was elected to a three-year term in October. He gave no timetable for his leaving, saying he intends to stay on until a replacement can be found.

 

 

 

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20 YEARS AGO

March 2004

Advertisement: Tea-Licious Tea House & Bakery 315 Lincoln Street Grand Opening! Freshly Baked Scones, Cakes & Pastries Innovative Salads, Soups & Sandwiches Harney & Sons Tea. Lunch * Afternoon Tea * Supper.

50 YEARS AGO

March 1974

Photo caption: National Republican Chairman George Bush takes a drink of water offered by Jan Craddick, Sitka delegate, during the Republican convention held here. Mrs. Craddick explained to Bush that the water was from Indian River, which means, according to local legend, that he will return.

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