The weather is hot enough for swimming, but the Woods Pool in Burr Ridge doesn’t seem to be reaping the benefits of the hot, dry summer.
“We’re certainly not booming,” Parks and Recreation Director Jim Pacanowski said.
Recreation Superintendent Lavonne Campbell said family memberships are down from 59 family memberships last summer to 45 so far this year. Single memberships are down from 15 last year to 9 this summer. Last year’s numbers include memberships bought at half price part-way through the season, which Campbell said could still help this year’s numbers.
Pacanowski said he’s not sure why more people don’t use the Woods Pool, 711 Tomling Drive in Burr Ridge.
“We don’t think it has anything to do with the condition of the pool,” Pacanowski said. “It’s a top-drawer facility.”
The public pool has been a perennial financial loser for the park district, which last year lost the district about $10,000 for its operation.
Pacanowski said the pool has never been about making money, but the district must assess each year just how much money it can afford to lose.
For now, the best he can hope for is more hot weather.
“The hotter, the better,” he said.
The price of a family membership increased by $15 this year, from $350 to $365, in an effort by park officials to cover a water rate hike. The pool gets its water from the village of Burr Ridge, which recently approved a 16 percent rate increase.
The pool also receives income from daily swim passes, swim lessons, classes and rentals.